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South African Presidential Candidate Cleared of Rape Charges

HeadlineMay 09, 2006

And in South Africa, the country’s former Deputy President Jacob Zuma has relaunched his bid for the presidency — just a day after he was acquitted on rape charges. Zuma had been seen as a frontrunner to follow President Thabo Mbeki up until he was charged with raping a family friend. Womens rights group fear the case will deter others from reporting rape. The woman who brought the charges was heckled as she arrived in court and was aggressively cross-examined about her sexual history. AIDS activists are also concerned about the case might undermine years of prevention campaigns in South Africa where 6 million people have AIDS. Zuma, who once headed the country’s campaign against AIDS, admitted he had unprotected sex with the woman even though he knew she was HIV+.

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