As president, he launched the R4-trillion National Infrastructure Plan and signed a controversial nuclear power deal with the Russian government, which was blocked by the Western Cape High Court in 2017.

As a former member of the South African Communist Party, he increasingly relied on left-wing populist rhetoric, and in his 2017 State of the Nation address he announced a new policy of "radical economic transformation".

Among the few policies implemented before the end of his presidency were land expropriation without compensation, free higher education, a series of attempted structural reforms in key sectors involving restrictions on foreign ownership, and more stringent black economic empowerment requirements.

By early 2016, there were also widespread allegations, later investigated by the Zondo Commission, that the Gupta family had acquired immense corrupt influence over Zuma's administration, amounting to state capture.

[45] Zuma's admission was controversial, as he stated that he had not used a condom while having sex with Khwezi, despite knowing she was HIV-positive and having been, as deputy president, the head of the National AIDS Council and Moral Regeneration Campaign.

[48][59] Zuma's court appearances on the corruption charges drew large crowds of supporters (on one estimate, up to 10,000 at a time),[60] who, on one occasion, burned T-shirts with Mbeki's picture on them, which the ANC leadership condemned.

A Mail & Guardian analysis stated:The political damage [of events of recent months] is incalculable, with the ruling African National Congress now an openly divided and faltering movement.

[67] In March, he appointed a legal team, including former Conservative Party politician Jurg Prinsloo and advocate Wycliffe Mothuloe, to fight his "crucifixion by the media".

[67] In June and July 2006, Zuma filed a series of defamation lawsuits against various South African media outlets for publishing content that allegedly besmirched his public profile in the form of cartoons, commentary, photos and parody pieces.

However, the NPA formally withdrew the charges in the same week that Zuma was inaugurated as national president,[84] citing apparent evidence of prosecutorial misconduct in the so-called spy tapes.

South Africa's admission followed a concerted campaign for membership and has been described as "a huge diplomatic coup" and "the most important foreign policy achievement of the Zuma administration".

[132]During South Africa's tenure on the United Nations Security Council, Zuma's administration was criticised for deviating in its stance on certain foreign regimes, especially in its attitudes towards international intervention in civil conflicts.

[145]By December 2007, Zuma was more forthcoming in criticising Zimbabwe's leadership, contrasting his own policy to Mbeki's, and observing that it was "tragic that other world leaders who witness repression pretend it is not happening, or is exaggerated".

"[149] At an ANC dinner in July, he rebuked Mugabe for refusing to step down,[150] and in November he said that the South African Development Community (SADC) should "force" Zimbabwean leaders to reach an agreement, if necessary.

It was attended by Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, then a fugitive from the International Criminal Court (ICC), which sought to prosecute him on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.

[169] Some South African commentators said that the crowd's actions were unexpected,[167][169] and they were widely linked to the ongoing Nkandla scandal,[167][170][171] a draft of the Public Protector's provisional report had been leaked the previous week, or to dissatisfaction with Zuma's administration more generally.

In January 2014, after he was heckled at Mandela's memorial, the Sunday Tribune reported that around November 2013, KwaZulu-Natal branches of the ANC had discussed a proposed resolution asking Zuma not to run for a second term as the country's president.

[181] The opposition, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), and DA applied for legal recourse to compel Zuma to follow the recommendations in Madonsela's report, and the Constitutional Court found in their favour on 31 March 2016.

[185][186] The court's finding that Zuma had failed to uphold the Constitution subsequently provided the basis of an impeachment motion in Parliament, which was sponsored by the DA and defeated by a significant margin.

[207][208][209] This relationship received widespread public attention in April 2013 when the media reported that the Guptas had landed an Airbus A330 at Waterkloof Air Force Base without formal authorisation, but was welcomed by a police escort.

[228] The reshuffle was criticised by senior ANC leaders including Deputy President Ramaphosa,[229] from the SACP,[230] and from members of the public, who, on 7 April, launched protests against Zuma and his government in several of South Africa's major cities.

[243] Baleka Mbete, the Speaker of the National Assembly, announced that the EFF's motion of no confidence in Zuma had been moved forward in the parliamentary schedule, and that it would now be voted on the following day instead of on 22 February.

[246] According to a later report by City Press, during this period elements of the South African National Defence Force and State Security Agency were unsuccessfully lobbied to launch a revolt to prevent Zuma's removal.

[272] The uMkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans' Association warned that his arrest would destabilise the country,[273] and hundreds of supporters gathered outside his Nkandla residence, threatening violence if he was detained.

On 15 December 2021, high court judge Keoagile Matojane set aside the parole decision, declaring it unlawful and saying that it undermined respect for the judiciary, the rule of law, and the Constitution.

Zuma is known for his sense of humour,[306] and to the disapproval of opposition politicians, as president he frequently joked during his addresses to Parliament, including the mockery of the Democratic Alliance's fixation on the Nkandla scandal.

[320][335] The articles criticised Zuma as an "opportunist"[336] and concluded, in the paraphrase of New York Times journalist Barry Bearak, that he was "far more interested in holding power than in making policy, long on charm if short on intellect".

[347] In January 2012, Zuma gave a speech at the ANC Centennial 2012 celebrations in Bloemfontein and, afterwards, sang the controversial song "Dubul' ibhunu" ("Shoot the Boer").

[362] In subsequent years, Zuma's spokesperson, Mac Maharaj, stressed that South Africa did not have a formal office for the first lady, and that the state did not support the President's wives or children except insofar as it funded some travel expenses and spousal participation at official functions.

[399] ANC Women's League deputy president Nosipho Ntwanambi said:With many African people for instance, and generally speaking, it is not right to have an extramarital affair if you have committed to yourself to a marriage.