Former president Jacob Zuma will remain on medical parole for now after the Pretoria high court granted him leave to appeal an earlier decision that set it aside as unlawful and ordered him to return to custody.

After hearing argument, judge Elias Matojane said the case raised “an important question [about] public law” — the correct interpretation of parole legislation.

He said he also thought another court may come to a different view on his order that the time Zuma had spent on medical parole should not be counted as part of his sentence.

The former president was sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment by the Constitutional Court for contempt of court after he breached its order to abide by the state capture commission’s summons and appear before it.

However, less than two months into his sentence, former correctional services commissioner Arthur Fraser released him on medical parole, against the recommendation of the medical parole advisory board.

Matojane last week found the decision unlawful and set it aside.

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