In the 60s and 70s he was in prison with Nelson Mandela on Robben Island (a place I'm going to visit, by the way. It's a major tourist attraction now).
Zuma believes in redistribution of wealth, and identifies himself as a Socialist. He has been the president since May of 2009, and before that was deputy president for six years.
Other than a few *ahem* "minor" legal problems (being charged with rape in 2005 when he was deputy president, and racketeering and corruption since he became president), Zuma's reign has been smooth sailing.
