Jackie Selebi is admitted to hospital

JAILED former national police commissioner Jackie Selebi is now an in-patient at Pretoria's Steve Biko Academic Hospital where he was admitted yesterday for observation.

According to the Department of Correctional Services, Selebi was moved from the Pretoria Central Prison clinic to the hospital for tests, and had been booked in until tomorrow. The department would not divulge the nature of Selebi's illness, saying the family had asked that this information be kept confidential.

Sowetan has however established that Selebi has been admitted to a ward for kidney patients.

Correctional Services spokeswoman Sibongile Khumalo said Selebi's family has been through a tremendous ordeal since his corruption conviction and sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court of Appeal. "They have been through quite a lot with him collapsing, being admitted to hospital and taken to prison, so we need to respect their wishes to keep his condition confidential.

"We all know that Selebi is a very sick man and would need certain tests as part of his treatment," Khumalo said.

A hospital insider said Selebi arrived at around 8am under heavy guard. Six Correctional Services officials stood guard outside his ward. They were supplemented by two more security guards from the hospital.