South African ex-vice president Zuma charged with rape

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's former deputy president, Jacob Zuma, has been charged with rape in a case that analysts say has practically dashed any hope of his becoming the country's next president.

The trial looks certain to further test South Africa's young democracy, coming on top of corruption charges against Zuma that many grassroots supporters of the popular anti-apartheid leader insist are trumped up.

The ruling African National Congress is already in turmoil over President Thabo Mbeki's decision in June to sack Zuma, who has the support of the country's most powerful trade union federation. But Zuma's supporters are treading more cautiously over the rape allegations, which he has vigorously denied.

"The national prosecuting authority has decided that Jacob Zuma be arraigned in the Johannesburg magistrate's court on a charge of rape," prosecutors said in a statement.

They said Zuma was formally charged at a special court hearing, which was not made public in advance. He was freed on a 20,000 rand (NZ$4450) bail ahead of his trial on February 13. They gave no details of the charge.

In a swift statement Zuma said: "I wish to state clearly that I am innocent of these charges."

A summary of the indictment published by SAPA news agency said Zuma offered to give the unnamed 31-year-old complainant a massage when she spent the night at his Johannesburg home on November 2.

"After she declined the offer he removed the duvet that covered her and proceeded to have sexual intercourse with her against her will and without her consent," it said.

Zuma said in a statement: "I regard these allegations against me very seriously, as I abhor any form of abuse against women.

The ANC, of which Zuma remains deputy president, called an emergency meeting of its executive, the National Working Committee, for Tuesday night and promised a comprehensive statement on Wednesday. Analysts said the committee could decide to suspend Zuma.

Zuma said in his statement he was suspending participation in all ANC bodies but would not step down as party number two.

"It is a very difficult moment (for the ANC)," party spokesman Smuts Ngonyama acknowledged in an interview with Johannesburg's Talk Radio 702.

RAPID FALL

Before the corruption and rape allegations surfaced, Zuma appeared to be comfortably in the lead to succeed Mbeki in 2009 as leader of the continent's economic powerhouse.

But analysts said the rape charge looked certain to create doubts among many of his grassroots followers.

"This country doesn't forgive a charge of rape, even though it is an allegation at this point. It is seen in very bad light," political analyst Susan Booysen of Johannesburg's Witwatersrand University told Reuters.

South Africa has one of the highest rape rates in the world.

Xolela Mangcu, political analyst at the Pretoria-based Human Sciences Research Council, said the charge was "an embarrassing thing for the whole of South Africa".

Mbeki dismissed Zuma as deputy president after a judge found that he and his convicted financial adviser had a "generally corrupt" relationship.

Zuma's leftist and trade union supporters believe the graft charges are politically motivated and have used the case as part of a wider protest against Mbeki's centrist policies that have kept South Africa's economy booming in recent years but have had little apparent effect on massive joblessness.

However, trade union federation COSATU made clear on Tuesday it would not automatically back Zuma this time.

"COSATU strongly believes that the rape allegations are separate from the corruption charges ... These are two separate matters and must be treated as such," it said in a statement.

- REUTERS