Damaging views in a country ravaged by Aids

When Jacob Zuma stood in the dock during the most high-profile court case in recent South African history and testified that he had not used a condom while having "consensual sex" with an HIV-positive woman, his admission hit a raw nerve in a country with the highest Aids infection rate in the world.

In particular, Mr Zuma's claim that he had taken a shower afterwards in an effort to minimise his chances of infection provoked outrage among those fighting to contain the spread of the virus.

Even his closest political allies began to question his judgement and, by implication, his fitness to lead the country.

Mr Zuma, who while deputy president was head of South Africa's National Aids Council, also told the court he believed a healthy man was unlikely to catch HIV from a woman.

Analysts say the views aired in the rape trial have damaged his reputation.

South Africa has more people - 5 million out of its 45 million citizens - with HIV than any other country, and infection levels are soaring.

A study by the Department of Health estimated that almost 30 per cent of pregnant women in South Africa were living with HIV.

But the government has often been accused of not taking Aids seriously.

President Thabo Mbeki has been accused of failing to admit the true extent of the Aids problem.

A lack of education campaigns, almost total absence of sex education in schools and an underfundedand poorly managed public health system have all been cited as reasons why the virus is spreading so rapidly.

Sue Goldstein of Soul City, an HIV information group, told the BBC that Mr Zuma's statements in court "bring the issues to the fore, but also show what we're battling against".

She pointed to "lack of leadership" as one of the problems hindering the struggle against HIV transmission in South Africa, adding it "boggles the mind" that such a prominent player on the political stage could act in the manner that he admitted to in court.

- INDEPENDENT