Former president Jacob Zuma is now a free man after being readmitted to prison for just one hour.

Acting Correctional Services Commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale said Zuma arrived in Estcourt Prison at 6 am on Friday and was released after 7 am.

He said Zuma is one of over 9,400 prisoners who are getting released on a special remission programme approved by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola previously explained that a remission of sentence "is where the President uses the powers vested on him by the constitution and the correctional services act to grant remissions which effectively means cutting the sentence short".

This means that Zuma is no longer under any parole obligations or any form of supervision by the department of correctional service.

Zuma was sentenced in June 2021 to 15 months in prison for contempt of court after he failed to appear before the State Capture Commission despite a court order to do so.

The prison's boss confirmed that Zuma was incarcerated for one hour.

"He did arrive this morning at six o'clock. He was admitted into the system. Upon admission into the system he was subjected to administrative processes, including the remission process that is already approved for all other offenders that qualify to be administratively processed under the remission process.

"He was subjected to that administrative process. And he was then released under that process," said Thobakgale.

Minister Lamola said the remissions process was approved in May but had to be implemented speedily because of a massive shortage of prison beds.

This was exacerbated by a fire at Makhado Prison in Limpopo which forced authorities to evacuate and relocate dangerous inmates.

Rioting prisoners started a fire at Kutama Sinthumule Correctional Facility in Makhado, Limpopo, on Monday and gutted three centres in the prison.

The inmates were demanding to be transferred to prisons in other provinces.