When former deputy president Jacob Zuma took the stand to defend himself against rape charges this week, he gave an explanation that one doctor and activist said took “20 steps back” in the campaign to increase awareness of the risks of HIV/Aids.
Zuma told the court on Tuesday that he was HIV-negative and that he had unprotected sex with an HIV-positive woman because the risk was not great enough to warrant concern.
“I had made a decision at that time,” Zuma said. “I knew the risk I was facing, but I believed it was small.”
But the message that this defence sends is a harmful one, especially to young men, according to activists and organisations working in HIV/Aids prevention. It disregards the risks associated with HIV/Aids and contradicts the messages that Zuma has given out in the past.
“Zuma really doesn’t understand his risk,” said Susan Goldstein, senior manager for research at Soul City, an NGO that works in health and development. “He may be less at risk than women by not using a condom, but he is still at risk.”
The fact that Zuma has multiple sexual partners — a key risk factor in the spread of HIV/Aids — makes his risk of contracting HIV even greater than it might first appear, she said. While it’s true that the risk of infection in one individual case of unprotected sex is small, this risk becomes magnified as one’s number of sexual partners grows.
Zuma’s history in the fight against HIV/Aids is also troubling in light of his testimony. He was head of the moral regeneration campaign and chairperson of the South African National Aids Council. In these capacities he repeatedly spoke about the risks of HIV/Aids.
Said Jonathan Berger, researcher at the Aids Law Project: “The fact that he has a lot of support and that he’s known to be someone who is generally more knowledgeable about HIV than many — that’s where the danger lies.”
Still, the message is out there. Said David Harrison, CEO of loveLife: “We’re going to have to move into damage control mode.”