Former South Africa President Jacob Zuma has been pardoned hours after he presented himself to Estcourt prison to serve his sentence.
According to Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola, Zuma was pardoned following a remission process that was ongoing due to over crowding in the prison.
"The process of granting remission is for all offender not former President Zuma and the process commenced in April... This process was accelerated when one of our prisons was burnt on Tuesday. We have about 3,024 inmates who now need bed space which we don't have across the country," Lamola said.
Remission status is granted to low-risk and non-violent offenders.
South Africa’s Commissioner of Prisons Makgothi Thobakgale said Zuma handed himself over at Escourt prison, in KwaZulu-Natal at 6am on Friday, and was admitted into the system but was released an hour later under a special remission process.
This came after the Constitutional court dismissed an application to challenge a Supreme Court of Appeal ruling, which found his release on medical parole unlawful.
The former South African president was sentenced in June 2021 to 15 months in jail for contempt of court after refusing to testify before a panel probing financial sleaze and cronyism under his presidency.
An appeals court last November found the release was illegally granted and ordered Zuma back to prison to finish his sentence.
