South African sacked deputy president Jacob Zuma won the first round in the court here Monday as the judge presiding over the rape trial of Zuma stepped down to protect the judiciary.

Defense lawyers had argued Bernard Ngoepe might be biased as he issued warrants for a search of Zuma's offices in a corruption case last year.

It is alleged that Zuma raped a family friend - a woman in her 30s - at his home in Johannesburg last November, while Zuma, 63, denied the charges when the trial began in the city on Monday.

He was one of the country's most popular politicians but was sacked from the government last year. He also faced separate charges of corruption.

Zuma's legal team succeeded in having Transvaal Judge President Bernard Ngoepe recuse himself from the trial before it got underway in the Johannesburg High Court.

"We are happy with the decision because we were not going to be satisfied with him in the case," Zuma told around 2,000 supporters outside the court.

Zuma is a veteran of the struggle to end apartheid. At one stage, he was championed by trade unionists and those on the political left as a likely presidential candidate to succeed President Thabo Mbeki.

Source: Xinhua