S Africa's Ex-President Jacob Zuma Hands Himself Over to Police

South Africa's ex-president Jacob Zuma turned himself in late Wednesday to begin serving a 15-month sentence for contempt of court, his foundation and the police said.

In a historic ruling, the Constitutional Court last week handed Zuma a 15-month term for snubbing anti-graft investigators, reports AFP.

Police had earlier on Wednesday warned they were prepared to arrest the former president by a midnight deadline to enforce the ruling, unless the top court instructed otherwise.

But Zuma decided to make his way to an unnamed jail in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).

"Please be advised that (ex) President Zuma has decided to comply with the incarceration order," the foundation tweeted.

"He is on his way to hand himself into a Correctional Services Facility in KZN," it said, just minutes before the deadline expired.

A convoy of cars believed to be carrying Zuma drove out of his homestead at high speed about 40 minutes before the cut-off time for him to give himself up.

Police Ministry spokeswoman Lirandzu Themba confirmed in a tweet after midnight that the ex-president had been placed in custody.

Zuma's daughter Dudu Zuma-Sambudla tweeted that he was "en route and he is still in high spirits".

"He said that he hopes they still have his same overalls from Robben Island... We salute dad!" she wrote on Twitter.

Zuma had mounted a last-ditch legal defense and refused to turn himself in by Sunday night as the court ordered. Under the ruling, police were given three days to arrest him if he failed to surrender.

 He had pleaded with the court for an 11th-hour reprieve.