Former South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma was acquitted of rape Monday in a politically charged trial that has helped destroy his presidential aspirations.

Judge Willem van der Merwe, in a verdict broadcast live on television and radio, found Zuma and the woman had consensual sex at his home last November, that his accuser's testimony was not credible, that she had lied and made a false claim of rape.

The verdict set off celebrations among Zuma supporters in the courtroom. He blinked and appeared to struggle to hold back tears before regaining his composure, then smiled. Across the street from the courthouse, about 5,000 Zuma supporters danced and cheered. Women's activists in court were in tears.

Zuma, who stands trial in July on unrelated corruption charges, has consistently protested his innocence on both the rape and corruption charges, maintaining all the accusations resulted from a conspiracy by unidentified plotters within the ruling party to derail his bid to succeed President Thabo Mbeki in 2009.

The former deputy president, fired by Mbeki after the corruption charges were levelled, offered no evidence to support his claim of a political conspiracy. But his acquittal reinforced the feeling among his ardent supporters that one existed.

The trial was the most politically charged since the end of apartheid. The testimony riveted the nation, focusing attention on his high rate of rape and raising questions about the government's ability to prevent the spread of AIDS in a country with 6 million HIV infected people the highest number of any country.

Zuma was accused of raping a 31-year-old HIV-positive AIDS activists and family friend at his Johannesburg home last November. Zuma acknowledged having sex with the woman, but insisted it was consensual.

The woman has testified she did not fight Zuma or scream for help because she froze when faced with advances from the man she regarded as a father. She said she would never have agreed to having sex without a condom.

Before he was charged with corruption, then fired as deputy president and later accused of rape, Zuma was widely seen as the man most likely to succeed Mbeki as president in 2009. Under the constitution, Mbeki cannot run for a third term.

During apartheid Zuma was imprisoned on Robben Island and then later from exile headed the military wing of the African National Congress. He rose to the upper echelon of the governing party despite being denied by apartheid the chance for higher education.

He was seen as a man of the people, one who fought for the common man and who had the support of the ANC Youth League, the South African Congress of Trade Unions and South African Communist Party _ influential members of the governing alliance.

Testimony raises doubts on him

But his own testimony in the rape trial raised questions about his attitude towards women, his understanding of AIDS and ultimately whether he has the judgment to lead the country.

Zuma testified that the woman, whom he had known since she was a small child, had encouraged him with cell phone messages and flirtatious behavior and did not resist his advances in the bedroom. Zuma also testified that the woman's decision to wear a knee-length skirt and later a kanga, a traditional Africa wrap, were other indications of her desire to have sex with him.

As a former head of the South African National AIDS Council, Zuma shocked many by arguing against scientific evidence that there was little danger of him contracting HIV from unprotected sex, and that his taking a shower after intercourse reduced the risk of transmission.

Doctors and health activists fear Zuma's testimony could undermine years of prevention campaigns.

Women's groups said the case has increased awareness of rape in South Africa, where reported rape is 114 cases per 100,000 people.

But the woman who brought the charges was heckled as she arrived in court and the aggressive cross-examination about her sexual history has prompted concern the trial will deter other women from reporting rape.

The woman has been in a witness protection program since her allegations were made public. South African media reported that she is likely to be given a new home abroad because of the strength of feeling against her.

(China Daily May 9, 2006)