Former president Jacob Zuma and Schabir Shaik during Zuma Restaurant opening in Umhlanga. Picture: Screengrab
Former president Jacob Zuma was the guest of honour during the opening of a restaurant in Umhlanga, Durban.
Zuma was seen having a great time with his daughter Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, he was clearly unfazed by the Supreme Court of Appeal’s decision to set aside his medical parole by the Pretoria High Court.
Zuma and the Department of Correctional Services had appealed the high court’s ruling in December last year, which set aside the decision by former Correctional Services national commissioner, Arthur Fraser, to grant him medical parole.
The former president was handed a 15-month jail sentence by the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) for contempt after he refused to testify at the Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture.
The opening of Zuma occurred on Friday, 25 November, with Sambudla posting a storm, dancing and posing with her father.
“The Media Thought They Would Meet On The Golf Course But They Met At Zuma Restaurant. (Now You Know I Had To Give The Haters Chest Pains…),” she wrote on Twitter.
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Zuma and his former financial advisor, convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik, were seen playing around with the 360 camera during the event.
Shaik was released on medical parole in 2009, after serving two years and four months of his 15-year prison term, after having been declared “terminally ill”.
Zuma restaurant owner Chef David Manal welcomed the former president. The restaurant is contemporary Mediterranean-Asian cuisine, with dishes such as sushi, robata style, seafood and grills. It’s inspired by Zuma, Dubai an Izakaya inspired Japanese restaurant.
“Thank you everyone for attending last night[‘s] event, It was an honour having our honourable former president [Zuma Restaurant] opening. We are going to educate and create jobs, dishes, lifestyle and culture,” said Manal on Instagram.
The VIP guests raved about the food, receiving top marks and a detailed review.
“Thank You To The Kitchen Gangster, Allan, For Having President Zuma At The Opening Of Zuma Restaurant.”
Location: Pearls At Umhlanga
Food: 10/10 I’m Definitely Going Back
Vibe: I Didn’t Want To Leave
Service: International
President Zuma Had The Fish. Top Tier.”