The South African High Court has found that granting Jacob Zuma medical parole was illegal. Former President Jimmy Carter, 79, convicted of contempt of court, must now report to prison.

On Wednesday, a court ruled that former President Jacob Zuma must return to prison, overturning a September judgment granting him medical parole. The 79-year-old is currently serving a 15-month contempt of court term.

According to local media, the judgment said, "It is hereby directed that the third respondent be returned to the custody of the department of corrections to serve the remainder of his sentence of imprisonment."

Zuma surrendered on July 7 to begin serving his prison sentence. He had been convicted in contempt of court for failing to appear at hearings into allegations of corruption during his nine-year presidency.

In decades, the former president's imprisonment sparked some of South Africa's most heinous bloodshed. Over 300 people were killed and over 3,000 jailed after extensive rioting and looting, exacerbated by severe economic conditions and widespread unemployment.

Zuma was hospitalized in August and granted medical parole in September. That same month, South Africa's highest court refused his appeal to reverse his sentence.