Here's a look at the life of Jacob Zuma, president of South Africa.
Personal: Birth date: April 12, 1942
Birth place: Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa
Birth name: Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma
Father: Gcinamazwi Zuma, police officer
Mother: Nobhekisisa Bessie, domestic worker
Marriages: Bongi Ngema (April 20, 2012-present); Thobeka Stacy Mabhija (January 4, 2010-present); Nompumelelo Ntuli (January 5, 2008-present); Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini (1982- 1998, divorce); Kate Mantsho Zuma (1976-2000, her death); Gertrude Sizakele Khumalo Zuma (1973-present)
Children: Reportedly has more than 20 children.
Timeline: 1958 - Joins the African National Congress (ANC) which is banned in South Africa in 1960.
1962 - Becomes a member of the Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), the military arm of the ANC.
1963-1973 - Arrested with other Spear of the Nation members and convicted of conspiring to overthrow the South African government. Zuma spends ten years in prison on Robben Island.
1975 - Flees South Africa and lives in exile for fifteen years in Swaziland, Mozambique, Zambia, and several other African countries, while continuing his work with the ANC.
February 1990 - President F. W. de Klerk lifts the ban on the ANC and other opposition groups, and Zuma returns to South Africa.
1990 - At the ANC's first Regional Congress in KwaZulu-Natal province, he is elected chairperson of the Southern Natal region and takes a leading role in fighting violence in the region. This results in peace accords between the ANC and the Inkatha Freedom Party.
December 1994 - He is elected as the National Chairperson of the ANC.
1997-2007 - Deputy President of the ANC.
October 1998 - Awarded the Nelson Mandela Award for Outstanding Leadership in Washington D.C.
1999-2005 - Deputy President of South Africa.
June 2, 2005 - A South African court finds businessman Schabir Shaik guilty of bribing Zuma with over $180,000 between 1995 and 2002.
June 14, 2005 - President Thabo Mbeki fires Zuma over his alleged involvement in the Shaik bribery scandal.
December 6, 2005 - Charged with raping a young female family friend in his home; he claims the sex was consensual. He is acquitted of the rape May 8, 2006. Zuma knew the woman was HIV positive and drew criticism from health advocates when he said he showered afterward to "minimize the risk of contracting the disease."
September 5, 2006 - Brought to trial and charged with corruption for allegedly accepting bribes from French arms company Thint Holdings.
September 20, 2006 - The corruption charges are dismissed by the court after numerous extensions by prosecutors to build the state's case.
December 18, 2007-present - President of the African National Congress
December 28, 2007 - New corruption charges are brought against Zuma, along with counts of racketeering and money laundering.
