JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's former Deputy President Jacob Zuma pleaded not guilty to a rape charge on Monday, saying he had sexual relations with the woman who lodged the accusation but that it was consensual.

"We had sex for some time. It was consensual," Zuma said in a statement read by his lawyer to a packed Johannesburg courtroom as he entered a not guilty plea in the politically-charged case.

Hundreds of Zuma supporters demonstrated outside the court, while a rival women's group held a protest in support of the plaintiff, a 31-year-old AIDS activist and longtime family friend.

One of South Africa's most popular politicians and former frontrunner to succeed President Thabo Mbeki in 2009, Zuma was fired as Mbeki's deputy last year amid a corruption scandal and was later hit with the separate rape charge.

Zuma has denied both charges, and says the corruption case is part of a vendetta by his political enemies in the ruling African National Congress (ANC), where he remains widely popular among the rank and file.

The rape case, originally due to start last month, got off to a rocky start when three judges at the Johannesburg high court withdrew their names from consideration to preside over the trial, citing reasons including past political and family connections.

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