testimony, and because he was preparing for his criminal trial on corruption charges. Zondo rescheduled Zuma's testimony to the week of 16 November, and issued a summons for that date. In November, Zuma applied to have Zondo recuse himself from proceedings. Zuma claimed that he and Zondo were friends, which Zondo denied, and that there was a conflict of interest arising from their "historical family relations". On the latter point, Zondo conceded that he had had a child with the sister of Zuma's third wife, Thobeka Madiba-Zuma, but pointed out that their relationship had ended in the 1990s, before Zuma and Madiba-Zuma met. On Thursday 19 November, Zondo dismissed Zuma's application for his recusal. When the commission heard Zuma's testimony, Zondo announced that Zuma had left during a break without being excused. He did not return on 20 November. In early December, the commission issued summonses for Zuma to appear before it in the weeks of 18 January and 15 February 2021. It also applied to the Constitutional Court for an order compelling Zuma to comply with the summonses, and for an order stipulating that Zuma's departure on 19 November and non-appearance on 20 November had been unlawful. Days before the first scheduled appearance, Zuma's lawyers wrote to the commission informing it that Zuma would not attend. On 28 January, the Constitutional Court ordered Zuma to comply with the second summons and to testify before the commission in February. In February, Zuma's lawyers again sent a letter announcing that Zuma would not appear to testify. By then, the commission had laid criminal charges against Zuma for an earlier breach of summons in terms of the Commissions Act. In March, it approached the Constitutional Court directly and asked it to sentence Zuma to two years' imprisonment for contempt of court. Zuma refused to participate in the contempt proceedings, although he complained of bias, and on 29 June 2021 he was sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment. Arrest and imprisonment Zuma was given until 4 July to hand himself in, after which the police would have until 7 July to arrest him forcibly. The Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association warned that his arrest would destabilise the country, and hundreds of supporters gathered outside his Nkandla residence, threatening violence if he was detained. Zuma told the press that he had been sentenced without trial, saying that it might "remind our people of the