Jacob Zuma: Key facts

2007-12-18 21:24

Polokwane - Jacob Zuma was elected leader of the ruling African National Congress on Tuesday, defeating President Thabo Mbeki.

Here are some key facts about Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma, born April 12 1942:

Zuma was South Africa's deputy president for six years before his sacking in 2005 by President Thabo Mbeki after he was implicated in a graft trial that saw his former financial adviser Schabir Shaik convicted on fraud and corruption charges.

Zuma was also charged with graft, but the case was thrown out on a technicality but a high court ruling in November 2007 cleared the way for evidence to be used against him in any future prosecution.

Zuma was acquitted of rape charges in May 2006 as well.

A former member of the ANC's military wing, Zuma rose through the ranks to become head of intelligence in the party, a post that gave him leverage over allies and opponents alike.

Like Nelson Mandela, he was imprisoned on Robben Island for conspiring to overthrow white rule, spending 10 years in jail before going into exile.

Earthy and approachable, the ethnic Zulu from KwaZulu-Natal has earned respect as a peacemaker at home, mediating between the ANC and the Zulu-dominated Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) at the height of violence in the early 1990s to head off a possible civil war.

Zuma's position in the ANC strikes a tribal balance in an organisation perceived to be dominated by leaders from the Xhosa tribe of Mandela and Mbeki.

Zuma received no formal schooling. He was formerly married to South Africa's current Foreign Minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

- Reuters