The Constitutional Court in South Africa has ruled that former President Jacob Zuma was granted medical parole unlawfully.

Zuma had been given parole by the former head of the prison service, Arthur Fraser, who is regarded as an ally of the former president.

He was released in September 2021 after serving less than eight weeks of a 15-month jail sentence.

Zuma had been convicted of contempt, after refusing to co-operate with anti-corruption enquiry during his term in office.

He has recently been spotted at a climate conference in Zimbabwe.

The prisons department has said it is studying the constitutional court’s judgement and will comment after seeking legal advice.

This week marks the second anniversary of the deadly riots sparked by Zuma’s arrest. More than 350 people were killed in the violence.