The intended arrest follows the sentencing of the former President by the Constitutional Court last week for contempt of court.

Per the court’s ruling, Mr. Zuma must surrender to the authorities by July 4, or face arrest within three days after that deadline.

However, he applied to a lower court to have his sentence suspended. It is unclear a lower court has the jurisdiction in South Africa to overturn the ruling of the country’s apex court.

Notwithstanding the application for the suspension of his sentence on which a ruling will be given on July 9, Police Ministry spokeswoman Lirandzu Themba said her outfit would have to carry out the arrest to avoid the same contempt for which Mr. Zuma has been convicted.

Police Minister Bheki Cele who reportedly sought clarity from the court about the arrest said it is inevitable.

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“The police will have to make the arrest by midnight. Failing to do so would mean the minister and the police commissioner would be in contempt of court. The minister has indicated he is not prepared to be charged for contempt of court,” he said as quoted by Bloomberg.com.

The 79-year-old ex-president governed South Africa for almost nine years.

He was however forced to resign in 2018 by the ruling African National Congress due to dwindling electoral support emanating from the scandals that bedeviled his government.

He has since been facing prosecution for more than 500 billion rand ($35 billion) that the government has accused him and others of having stolen from state coffers.

Mr. Zuma who accused the state of subjecting him to political persecution had not been cooperating fully with the courts to probe the corruption allegations, hence his conviction.