Zuma surprised accuser left after sex

2006-04-05 13:13

Johannesburg - Jacob Zuma was surprised that the woman who accuses him of rape left his bedroom after they had sex, the Johannesburg High Court heard on Wednesday.

He agreed with prosecutor Charin de Beer that he thought the woman would spend the rest of the night in his bed.

Zuma said after the two had consensual sex, he soon afterwards took a shower. Upon his return the woman had left.

He told the court the reason for taking the shower was to minimise his chances of contracting HIV from the woman as they had not used a condom.

Zuma said after he put on pyjamas and dressing gown, he went to the woman in the guest bedroom and asked her how she was. She replied: "Fine, no problem".

De Beer put it to Zuma that he had gone to the woman for the purpose of damage control as her behaviour had worried him.

He denied this.

He said it did occur to him to invite the woman back to his bedroom.

De Beer put it to Zuma that he would not have had intercourse with the woman in his bedroom due to the risk of his daughter walking in.

Zuma denied this, saying: "My Lord, at night my daughter is in her room, she never comes to my room".

The 31-year-old woman alleges that Zuma raped her in the guest bedroom of his Johannesburg home on November 2 last year.

Zuma agreed with De Beer that he was an experienced lover. He said he would have noticed if something was wrong with the woman during the sex, such as her being in a frozen state.

- SAPA