Former president Jacob Zuma is fit, well and in a jolly mood, his party said on Saturday night, in the same breath as admitting that doctors had kept the 84-year-old in hospital for more than a week simply because he was exhausted.
The MK Party said the former president had been discharged and was back at home, where he was working on party matters.
"Following a routine medical check-up, president Jacob Zuma's highly skilled medical team identified fatigue and recommended a period of rest under medical supervision," party spin doctor Sifiso Mahlangu said in a statement.
"The president duly took the necessary time to rest and recuperate under the care and supervision of his doctors.
Zuma healthy and jovial
"The president is healthy and jovial."
When Zuma was admitted to a Pietermaritzburg hospital last week Tuesday, the MKP said he had gone in for a routine medical check-up, which he had twice a year, and that he was healthy and in good spirits.
The Presidency said at the time that he was under the care of the surgeon-general.
On Tuesday, the Jacob G Zuma Foundation denied reports that he had been discharged.
The MKP thanked his medical team, the diplomatic community and South Africans living abroad for their concern.
It said Zuma was pleased with the work its members were doing in wards and branches across the country ahead of the local government elections on November 4.
Zuma, who was president from 2009 to 2018, formed the MKP in 2023 and was expelled from the ANC the following year.
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