JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, April 3 (UPI) -- Former South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma, 63, is testifying in his defense in a Johannesburg High Court against a charge of rape.
Zuma, a veteran of the struggle against apartheid, was thought to be a likely successor to Thabo Mbeki for South African president, although many say the rape accusations have put an end to his political ambitions.
Zuma said he met the complainant's father through their involvement in the African National Congress Youth League in 1958, the BBC reported.
He denied the woman's claim that they had had a "father-daughter" relationship, claiming she sent him flirtatious text messages.
Zuma denied he rape charge, saying he had consensual sex with the woman at his home last year.
The case has attracted much publicity and court sessions have drawn demonstrations by groups both supporting and against Zuma.
Women's groups have been critical of the trial and the cross-examination of the 31-year-old woman at the heart of it, who is HIV positive and an AIDS activist.
