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loveLife welcomes Zuma apology

    JOHANNESBURG

    The South African youth HIV/AIDS campaign, Lovelife, on Wednesday welcomed former deputy president Jacob Zuma's apology for having unprotected sex with an HIV-positive woman.

    Tokyo Sexwale, chairman of loveLife's advisory board, said it was noteworthy that Zuma had clarified his stance on the prevention of HIV.

    "His [Zuma's] acknowledgement that he erred in having unprotected sex and his apology for not having acted with greater responsibility is highly commendable," he told the South African Press Association.

    Zuma drew wide criticism from AIDS activists when told the Johannesburg High Court during his sexual assualt trial that he had unprotected consensual sex with his HIV-positive accuser, because he knew the risk of infection would be minimised by the shower he took straight after.

    Sexwale, however, stressed the importance of abstinence, faithfulness and condoms as ways of preventing the spread of HIV.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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