South Africa's former deputy president Jacob Zuma defended himself against a rape charge on him at a Johannesburg court on Monday, saying the sex intercourse he had with a female complainant was not the forced but consensual one.

Zuma took the stand in the Johannesburg High Court on Monday morning, giving his testimony for the first time since the rape trial was opened on February 13.

"I got the impression that she would not have any problem if I took off my clothes ... this is an indication because I would have expected her to object to my taking off clothes in her presence and she didn't say anything," Zuma was quoted as telling the court by the SAPA news agency.

It is the first time in South Africa's history that a former deputy president had to testify as the accused in a criminal trial.

Zuma, 63, also faces separate charges of corruption and will stand on trial in July. He was sacked by President Thabo Mbeki as the country's deputy president in June, last year.

In his native Zulu language, Zuma told the court how he had sex with the woman who has accused him of raping her on November 2, last year, at his Johannesburg home.

Zuma said his accuser, the daughter of one of his anti- apartheid comrades, was at his home on the night of November 2 because of a family crisis and said she wanted to talk to him.

After discussing the issue at Zuma's bedroom, on his bed, the woman, said to only have a kanga (wrap) on her at that time, asked to sleep under the duvet and later asked Zuma to massage her, which Zuma did, according to him.

The testimony then involved kissing and later the sexual intercourse without the use of a condom, which was already a bombshell news in South Africa since the accuser was reportedly HIV positive and Zuma chaired the AIDS Council of the country, whose HIV/AIDS epidemic is among the worst in the world.

But Zuma told the court that if he turned her down on realizing neither had a condom, according to Zulu culture he could not leave a woman "if she is ready."

Zuma said his accuser did not resist him in the whole course.

"If she did not want it, she would easily push me away. I know her," he said.

But the 31-year-old woman reportedly suggested that her profound shock at seeing the man she often referred to as uncle standing naked in front of her caused her to "freeze."

Supporters of Zuma and activists of women's right divided outside the court during the court proceeding.

Zuma is a popular politician in South Africa and a veteran of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) 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 Thabo Mbeki when he completes his term in 2009.

But the charges of rape and corruption appear to have left his political career in tatters.

Zuma remains deputy leader of the ANC although it has been agreed that he should not perform any executive functions.

Source: Xinhua