A senior official in South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC) has said he country's former President Jacob Zuma is sick and recovering at home, national broadcaster SABC reports. ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule was responding to a question about an arrest warrant issued on 5 February by the Pietermaritzburg High Court after Mr Zuma failed to appear in court on corruption charges in relation to a multi-million dollar arms deal dating back to the 1990s. The former president's lawyer produced a doctor's "sick note" to explain his client's absence, but the judge questioned the credibility of the document and warned that Mr Zuma would face arrest if he did not appear for his next court appearance in May. Mr Zuma later shared a picture on Twitter of himself taking aim with a rifle.

pic.twitter.com/0jKc2RkjEP

— Jacob G Zuma (@PresJGZuma) February 5, 2020

ANC officials in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, the political base of Mr Zuma, said the court’s decision to reject the former president's sick note was "irrational and inconsiderate" to his health, SABC reports.