The civil rights organisation AfriForum has filed an urgent review application on former President Jacob Zuma’s release from prison owing to medical parole.

Zuma was released from serving his 15-month jail sentence owing to undisclosed medical conditions. Afriforum head of policy and action Ernst Roets said Zuma’s parole was a matter of national importance.

"We regard this application as urgent because this is a clear case of abuse of power by the government based on a person's political position. It is also clear to us that the applicable legal provisions to release someone on medical parole have not been complied with, which is why we ask in our application that the decision to release Zuma on medical parole be reversed,” Roets said.