Johannesburg
Former South African Vice President Jacob Zuma this week was acquitted of sensational charges that he had raped a family friend who is HIV-positive. After allowing evidence that the 31-year-old accuser had brought false allegations of rape against other men in the past, Judge Willem van der Merwe ruled that the sex was consensual. Van der Merwe said he did not believe the alleged victim’s account that she was attacked in a bedroom. “Why would a man be so foolish to start raping a sleeping woman if he did not know whether she would scream her head off?” the judge asked. Joyous crowds cheered outside the courtroom when the popular Zuma, 64, emerged. He apologized to the nation for setting a bad example by not wearing a condom.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Magazine solutions - July 4, 2025 / July 11, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - July 4, 2025 / July 11, 2025
-
Magazine printables - July 4, 2025 / July 11, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - July 4, 2025 / July 11, 2025
-
Controversial GOP plan to sell millions of federal acres hits major roadblockIN THE SPOTLIGHT Republican Sen. Mike Lee says he'll revisit legislation to sell millions of acres of federally held land to create 'freedom zones' of single family homes
