Zuma pleads not guilty

I wasnt suprised to read this article in the BBC that Zuma has pleaded not-guilty to charges that he raped a family friend. As you may recall, Jacob Zuma is the former deputy president of South Africa (equivalent to a vice-president). However, he was recently asked to resign from his positiong due to innvolvment in a corruption scandal and this rape trial.

Do I think he is guilty? Yes, I imagine he raped that girl and that he was innvolved in the corruption and cover up. Do I think he will be found guilty? Not likely. Do I think he will succeed Mbeki as the next president of South Africa? Tragically, I think that he will.

I worry about what kind of message this sends to a country that is already embarassingly lenient on the persecution of rape victims.

South Africa has so much promise as a leader on the continent. I hate to see that opportunity lost to corruption and scandal.