South Africa's ex-President Zuma could be out in 4 months, says justice minister

A general view of Estcourt Correctional Centre, where South Africa's former president Jacob Zuma is being held after he turned himself in to begin a 15-month sentence for contempt of court, in Estcourt, South Africa. [Reuters]

South Africa's former president Jacob Zuma, who has been in police detention since Wednesday night as he starts a 15-month prison sentence for contempt, will be eligible for parole after around four months, the justice minister said.

Zuma turned himself in to police to begin his jail term for defying a court order to attend an inquiry into corruption while he was in power from 2009 to 2018.