South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma is free to run in May’s general election after an electoral court overturned a ban on his candidacy.

Last month the electoral commission barred him over a contempt of court conviction.

It argued the constitution prevented people from holding public office if convicted of a crime and sentenced to more than 12 months in prison.

Mr Zuma, 81, has been campaigning for the new uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party.

A former stalwart of the governing African National Congress (ANC), he is a controversial figure and served as president from 2009 until 2018, when he had to step down because of corruption allegations.

He was sentenced to 15 months in jail in 2021 for failing to testify in a corruption investigation, though he only served three months on health grounds.