South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has welcomed the decision to place former President Jacob Zuma on medical parole due to his ill health.
Last month, prison authorities said Zuma, serving a 15-month sentence in Estcourt prison for contempt of court, underwent unspecified surgery at an outside hospital where he had been sent for observation. He remained in hospital with more operations planned.
The 79-year-old's eligibility for medical parole follows a medical report received by the Department of Correctional Services, it said in a statement.
Addressing the media, Ramaphosa said on Monday the African National Congress (ANC) wished Zuma a quick recovery.
Zuma was jailed for defying a Constitutional Court order to give evidence at an inquiry investigating high-level corruption during his nine years in office until 2018.
When Zuma handed himself in on July 7, protests by his supporters escalated into riots involving looting and arson that Ramaphosa described as an "insurrection."