African National Congress deputy president Jacob Zuma should speak out on violence against women and address people on HIV/Aids prevention following his acquittal on a rape charge, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) said on Wednesday.
”… While welcoming the apology of former deputy president Zuma about his behaviour and statements on HIV, TAC believes that a one-off apology is not enough to reverse the damage caused by some of his statements to the court,” said the TAC.
”Therefore, TAC calls on Jacob Zuma to speak directly to people about HIV prevention on an ongoing basis and to visit areas where people have been affected by his statements.
”In addition, the NEC [national executive committee] calls on former deputy president Zuma to speak out against violence and inequality of women, and to encourage women to report rape to the police and for the police and courts to investigate and prosecute rape cases properly.”
Zuma was acquitted of raping a 31-year-old woman who considered herself a family friend.
The court found they had consensual sex. Zuma did not use a condom.
Under cross-examination he said he took a shower after having sex with her, to reduce his chance of contracting the HI-virus.
Zuma apologised to the nation for having unprotected sex with an HIV-positive woman, the day after he was acquitted of rape.
”I should have been more cautious and more responsible,” said Zuma in an interview to SABC radio at the time. ”I erred on this issue and on this, I apologise.
”The war against Aids, I’ll stand for it and our fight will continue and I will continue to preach, even using my example that we need to fight HIV/Aids because it is a dangerous thing,” he said.
Although Zuma was cleared on the charge of rape, the judge admonished the former deputy president for having unprotected sex.
”It is inexcusable that the accused did so,” said Judge Willem van der Merwe, when he wrapped up his six-hour judgment in the trial, the most sensational of the post-apartheid era.
”It is totally unacceptable that a man should have unprotected sex with a person other than his regular partner and definitely not with a person who, to his knowledge, is HIV-positive,” he said.
The harsh words from the judge were in line with the criticism that Aids activists had directed at the former number two, who was one of the government’s leading officials on Aids policy.
Zuma headed the National Aids Council, which advocated the use of condoms in its campaign to fight the pandemic that affects one in seven adults in South Africa, one of the biggest caseloads in the world.
In admonishing Zuma, Van der Merwe referred to a famous Rudyard Kipling poem: ”Had Rudyard Kipling known of this case at the time he wrote his poem If, he might have added the following: ‘And if you can control your body and your sexual urges, then you are a man, my son’.”
The judge had also said ”he would not even comment” on Zuma’s evidence that he had a shower after the intercourse to lessen his chances of contracting the virus.
Meanwhile, the TAC NEC resolutions also included stating that it supported the broad policy framework of South Africa’s response to HIV/Aids.
It believed it had a right to speak out on matters of discontent.
”The TAC believes that if the causes of its conflict with the government are identified and resolved then there is no reason why a genuine partnership cannot exist in order to urgently address HIV prevention, treatment and care.”
It will also seek a meeting with South African National Aids Council chairperson Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, who is also Deputy President. — Sapa-AFP