LIVE: Reaction to imprisonment of Jacob Zuma

Former president Jacob Zuma handed himself over to police at the stroke of midnight on Wednesday, after a dramatic three-day standoff at his home in Nkandla.

Zuma, who faces a 15-month sentence for contempt of court for failing to abide by an order to testify at the state capture commission, was ordered to hand himself over by Sunday or face arrest. The police had until midnight Wednesday to affect the arrest. 

What they said:

Wayne Duvenage, Outa CEO: 

“This morning South Africans can relax and be a little more proud of their country. Aside from the populism, the pushing and the prodding, sanity has prevailed and the country was spared the embarrassment of a showdown. We can move on with holding more corruption perpetrators to account.”

Carl Niehaus, MKMVA (disbanded) spokesperson: 

“Zuma's supporters...will continue to mobilise and fight this. This is not the end, this is only the beginning of the resistance, we will become much stronger.” 

Herman Mashaba, ActionSA leader:

“It is our hope that Zuma’s incarceration will be the beginning of further arrests to be made of all of those who have blatantly and unashamedly broken the law and looted this country. Our law-enforcement agencies must ensure that justice is served on all those involved in state capture.”

Velenkosini Hlabisa, IFP leader:

“The IFP reiterates its call to former President Zuma to respect the ruling of the Constitutional Court, the rule of law, and to allow justice to now take its course. The IFP further reiterates its call for calm and restraint in respect of groups of persons supporting former President Zuma.” 

ANC: 

“Without doubt this is a difficult period in the movement and we call upon our members to remain calm and respect the decision taken by former president Jacob Zuma to abide by the rulings of the court.”

John Steenhuisen, DA leader:

“It is a significant day for the country and reasserts the fact that we are a rules-based society, where the rule of law applies equally to all South Africans. It is also a very welcome development that the order of the Constitutional Court has been upheld. Failure in this regard would have struck a fatal blow to the credibility of the court and plunged SA into a constitutional crisis. It also sends a very clear message that the law cannot be mocked and undermined as Mr Zuma has done for the last decade.”

Solly Mapaila, SACP first deputy secretary-general:

“The imprisonment of Jacob Zuma has reaffirmed our constitutional democracy ... of all other people, he [Zuma] should’ve known better that to comply with the Constitutional Court when they said he must go to the commission; he didn’t show respect for the rule of law.”