UN slams Zuma's sex apology
2006-05-10 22:05
Nairobi - Former deputy president Jacob Zuma's apology for having unprotected sex will not make up for the harm done to efforts to fight Aids, says a top United Nations official.
"I don't think anything can compensate for the damage he has done," said Stephen Lewis, the United Nations secretary- general's special envoy for Aids in Africa.
Zuma was acquitted on Monday on a charge of raping an HIV-positive family friend.
He stunned observers and outraged AIDS activists during the trial when he said he took a shower after sex to minimise the risk of contracting HIV.
<[p>He later apologised for having sex without a condom and said he would preach safe sex.
Judge slams his behaviour
"The outlandish and unacceptable male behaviour he demonstrated through his testimony on HIV, were appallingly uninformed in a country that is wrestling with the highest number of infections in the world," Lewis told a news conference in Nairobi.
Judge Willem van der Merwe slammed Zuma's behaviour as "unacceptable" for a man who once had led the country's anti-Aids efforts.
South Africa has one of the highest rates of rape in the world and the world's biggest HIV caseload with about five million people infected.
Lewis said Zuma's comments had highlighted the attitude of the South African government, which has been criticised for its handling of the HIV/Aids pandemic.
He said "The voice of the government in South Africa has been confused or confusing (on HIV/Aids) ... the voice of Jacob Zuma made it more unpalatable."
ARV roll-out slow
President Thabo Mbeki's government has been criticised by groups who say it has downplayed the Aids crisis and the efficacy of antiretroviral drugs, the only treatment known to slow the course of the disease.
The government introduced a public ARV treatment programme in late 2003, but the national roll-out has been slow and only slightly more than 40 000 people have been enrolled.
Zuma, who still faces corruption charges, has said he will resume his duties with the African National Congress Party, of which he is deputy president.
- Reuters