Zuma says he knew Aids risks

2006-04-03 15:48

Johannesburg - Without directly revealing his own HIV status, former deputy president Jacob Zuma has testified that his rape accuser was not in danger of contracting the disease from him.

Former deputy president Jacob Zuma was giving evidence in his rape trial in Johannesburg High Court on Monday.

Zuma is accused of raping a family friend at his Johannesburg home on November 2, but he spent the morning explaining that the two had sex after he massaged her.

They discussed the use of a condom, but neither had one and they went ahead anyway.

Answering questions from his counsel, Kemp J Kemp, Zuma said that after being appointed deputy president of the country, he was made chair of the Aids council.

He was expected to have a better knowledge of the disease and the council took measures to inform the public of precautionary measures, "particularly because there were debates about this issue".

Zuma said: "Even the government itself, ministers and deputy ministers, we were all expected to teach this gospel."

Risks of sex

Kemp asked if he knew the risks associated with a man having sex with an HIV-positive woman.

He said it was his lay understanding that one could not contract the disease just from having sex with a woman.

"I had knowledge, as a layperson, that chances were very slim you could get the disease... just because you had intercourse with a woman you'd be infected."

Kemp then asked if he knew the risk was different for a woman having sex with an HIV-positive man, to which he said he did.

'She was not at risk'

Without directly asking Zuma his own HIV-status, Kemp asked if he thought the woman was at any risk having sex with him.

"No, she was not at risk."

The court has heard testimony from a virologist on the way the risk of contracting HIV/Aids increases, with the levels of the virus in the body and whether there are any tears in the sexual organs of either the man or the woman.

Earlier, Zuma described to the court in detail on Monday how he had sex with the woman who has accused him of rape.

The trial continues.

- SAPA