Zuma: Not using condom was mistake
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (Reuters) -- South Africa's former Deputy President Jacob Zuma apologized on Tuesday for having unprotected sex with an HIV-positive woman and said he was resuming his duties at the ruling ANC party after his acquittal on rape charges.
"I apologize. I have no doubt about it and it (was) a mistake. The war against AIDS -- I will stand for it and I will continue to preach, even using myself as an example. We need to fight HIV and AIDS because it is a dangerous thing," he told the SABC public broadcaster.
"The question of when I am going to resume (duties as deputy president of the African National Congress) ... I took a decision (to suspend myself) for the duration of the case and the case is over. Therefore I am back," Zuma added.
South African High Court Judge Willem van der Merwe on Monday acquitted Zuma of raping an HIV-positive family friend, ending a case that opened deep rifts in the ANC.
The verdict saved the man once seen as the country's next president from political oblivion, but analysts said he has been badly wounded by a sensational court case that revolved on whether the sex was consensual.
The judge slammed as "unacceptable" the fact that Zuma had sexual intercourse with the woman when, as deputy president, he had led South Africa's anti-AIDS efforts.
South Africa has the biggest HIV caseload in the world, with nearly 5 million people infected.
Zuma, an ethnic Zulu, was hit with the rape charge following a separate graft scandal last year which prompted Mbeki to sack him as the country's second-highest official. He faces trial on the corruption case in July.
Niel's Commentary Lets play a game here. What major piece of information did Reuters leave out of this article? How about the results of his HIV/AIDS test. If this story was about Dick Cheney having unprotecetd sex with an HIV positive woman, paragraph two would say "Mr. Cheney has tested (negative or postive) for HIV." That is the kind of information I want.
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