South Africa’s former president Jacob Zuma has insinuated that the apartheid government, which he fought against, treated him better than the current one.

He told reporters he had always fought against injustices and was shocked when he was sentenced to prison “without trial” – something he fought against during the white-minority apartheid rule.

The former president said he believed courts were being used by his political opponents to settle scores.

Mr Zuma had been given until Sunday to hand himself to authorities to serve his 15-month prison sentence after being found in contempt of court last week.

He insisted on Sunday that he was not going to comply – after the constitutional court agreed to hear his application to have the judgement rescinded.

Hundreds of his supporters have been camping outside his home, saying they are protecting him from being arrested.

The gathering by his supporters is illegal under the country’s level 4 regulations, which are aimed at controlling the spread of Covid-19 infections.

Mr Zuma was handed the prison term on Tuesday after failing to appear before a corruption inquiry despite orders to do so.