Zuma joined the outlawed African National Congress in 1959 and was imprisoned in 1963 for 10 years. He continued to work for the ANC after his release, going into exile in 1975 and working his way up the organization to join the National Executive Committee in 1977. In 1990 Zuma returned to South Africa when the ban on the ANC was lifted. He was appointed Deputy President by Thabo Mbeki in 1999. The expectation that he would succeed Mbeki as President of South Africa was thrown into doubt in 2005 when he was dismissed on suspicion of corruption. Although subsequently charged with corruption and (separately) rape, he was acquitted on both counts in 2006. Despite continued corruption allegations, Zuma’s popularity with the ANC membership enabled him to defeat Mbeki for the party presidency in 2007. He became President of South Africa following the ANC’s victory in the 2009 election and was re-elected in 2014. In office Zuma was frequentlycriticized for failing to improve the county’s slow economic growth and continued to be dogged by accusations of venality and fraud. His presidency became increasingly unpopular and in 2018 he resigned rather than face a parliamentary motion of no confidence. He was succeeded as President by Cyril Ramaphosa.