Zuma 'highly irresponsible'
2006-04-05 23:00
Special Report
The South African government has announced a joint venture to reduce the cost of anti-retroviral drugs with a Swiss company.
Johannesburg - Former deputy president Jacob Zuma's belief that a man could not contract HIV/Aids when having sex with an HIV-positive woman was irresponsible, said non-governmental organisation Soul City on Wednesday.
"First, he continues to assert the untruth that men having intercourse with HIV-positive women are not at risk of becoming infected," said the Soul City Institute for Health and Development Communication.
"This is the height of irresponsibility in a country where one in nine people is HIV-positive."
Soul City also criticised Zuma for not using a condom during sex.
In his testimony, Zuma told the court the woman was making "sexual overtures" to him even before the night he allegedly raped her.
"If this was the case, the question that needs to be asked is, why then did he not make sure condoms were available?"
The institute also said the risk involved with having multiple sexual partners had been ignored.
Soul City called on the media to ensure that efforts to contain the HIV/Aids pandemic would not be undermined by reporting on Zuma's testimony.
- SAPA