A bid for a presidential pardon by a former close aide of South African leader Jacob Zuma, who was jailed for graft but released on medical parole, is being considered, Zuma's office said Monday.

A South African court on Tuesday sentenced a man to life imprisonment for the murder of lesbian footballer Eudy Simelane who was gang raped and robbed in an attack last year.

South African President Jacob Zuma on Thursday nominated Judge Sandile Ngcobo the next chief of the Constitutional Court, where he will inherit a controversy linked to the leader.

South Africa's new police chief Bheki Cele on Wednesday called for parliament to loosen restrictions on the use of lethal force by police.