Zuma acquitted of rape

The Johannesburg High Court today acquitted Jacob Zuma, the former Deputy President, of raping an HIV-positive family friend, keeping alive the political hopes of a man once seen as the country's next president.

"I find that consensual sex took place between the complainant and the accused," Judge Willem van der Merwe told a packed Johannesburg High Court in a verdict that was broadcast live on national television.

Zuma's rape trial has fanned tensions in the ruling African National Congress (ANC), where he remains a widely popular figure and was until recently seen as the frontrunner to succeed President Thabo Mbeki in 2009. More than 2 000 pro-Zuma supporters staged a noisy demonstration outside the Johannesburg courthouse, the latest in a series of protests attesting to the grassroots popularity of a man many affectionately dub "JZ".

The 64-year-old anti-apartheid veteran had pleaded not guilty to raping his accuser at his Johannesburg home last November. But his lawyers said he did have consensual sex with the woman, a 31-year-old AIDS activist.

Conviction for rape could have brought a jail term of up to 15 years. Zuma was hit with the rape case following a separate graft scandal last year which prompted Mbeki to sack him as the country's second-highest official. He is due to go on trial in July on the corruption charges, which he has denied and described as part of a shadowy political plot by his enemies in the ANC to end his presidential hopes. - Reuters