It comes just months after he was released from prison on medical parole. He was imprisoned earlier this year by the country's highest court after he refused to appear before a commission probing alleged corruption during his nine-year presidency.

Mr Zuma stepped down in 2018 as pressure over the allegations mounted.

He hopes the book will “set the record straight”, Mr Zuma's spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi said.

Journalist Karyn Maughan told the BBC's Newsday programme that it does not seem that the former president was the person who actually wrote the book.

"The disappointment here of course is that this does not appear, despite the title of the book, to be him in his own words. It really is about his supporters trying to defend his policies," she added.

The income from the sales will go towards paying off Mr Zuma's legal fees.