Official suspended for leaking pics of Jacob Zuma in prison

Pictures of Zuma at the Estcourt Correctional Centre in KwaZulu-Natal have been making the rounds on social media.

Zuma spent his first night behind bars on Wednesday after numerous attempts to evade his 15-month jail term came to nought.

Correctional Services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo says the memory card with photos of Zuma was stolen.

The images were meant for filing purposes.  

"It has come to the attention of the department of correctional services that images were stolen from a camera of the official who had been assigned to take photos for institutional filing purposes.

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"The SD card was removed from the camera and the matter is highly sensitive and is being investigated by both SAPS and DCS. The official involved has also been contemplated with a suspension notice." 

Nxumalo says pictures were shared with a news broadcaster.

"The first aspect of the internal investigation thus far has revealed that this SD card may have clandestinely been shared with a known broadcaster.

"The department will be approaching the relevant institutions for further action.

"We are appalled by the distribution of these images on social media, and we urge people to refrain from sharing them."