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Zuma apologises for unsafe sex

    JOHANNESBURG

    Former South African deputy president Jacob Zuma told the nation on Tuesday he was sorry he had engaged in unprotected sex with an HIV-positive woman.

    Zuma made the apology a day after he was acquitted of sexually assaulting the woman, a long-time family friend, whom he knew was HIV positive.

    "I should have been more cautious and more responsible. I erred on this issue, and on this I apologise," the South African Broadcasting Corporation quoted him as saying.

    While rendering his six-hour verdict, High Court Judge Willem van der Merwe said it was "inexcusable" that Zuma had chosen not to use protection.

    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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