This is the question I have been asking myself today. Although he was acquitted of the rape charge against him, I have a very hard time believing that he did not rape the woman "nicknamed 'Khwezi' by her supporters". I also think that someone who had unprotected sex with a person who he knew to be HIV positive and believed that taking a shower "would minimise the risk of contracting the disease [HIV]" should not hold a place of leadership in any society. How on earth could the former "head of South Africa's National Aids Council and the Moral Regeneration Movement" think that showering after sex could reduce the risk of contracting HIV?! I am appalled. I am also shocked that he secured the "endorsement of the ANC's Women League". I just do not understand it.
This afternoon, I called my brother (who spent 5 months living and working in Pretoria, South Africa) to ask him "what did people think of Jacob Zuma?" I can't remember his exact words, but I do recall him using the terms 'nutcase' and 'moron' with reference to Zuma.
So how did he end up leader of the ANC? Why do people support him? Is it because "his supporters believe [he] ... will redistribute South Africa's wealth in favour of the poor"? Even if he could achieve this, would that make up for what he has said and what he may have done? Furthermore, Zuma is under suspicion for corruption charges, yet another factor which makes me think he is unfit to lead the ANC.
Ultimately, it is for South Africans to decide what they think of Jacob Zuma and to act accordingly. It is my hope that people do not overlook his past out of a belief in what they think he might be able to achieve if and when he becomes president of South Africa.
