I'm Andrew Harding and this is the documentary on the BBC World Service.

Picture an old man standing outside his house on a steep hillside.

He looks sturdy, cheerful too, grinning broadly and joining in when some neighbours turn up to sing old Zulu songs.

I'm not going to testify, you're a man.

Yeah, you're not going to testify, you're a man.

Later, he'll head indoors to join some of his many children and grandchildren dancing together for a TikTok video.

Jacob Zuma has plenty of reasons to be cheerful.

He's lived an epic life, the poor goat herder who joined South Africa's liberation struggle,

went to prison, then followed Nelson Mandela's footsteps to become president.

No wonder Zuma's trademark is his chuckle.

I fell instantly in love with him, instantly under his spell.

The way he speaks, the way he relates, the way he laughs, the way he calms you down.

Some of us will have given our lives for him.

But the laughter is masking something, people have noticed it when he's served tea or food,

a hesitation, a suspicion, a fear.

I have survived attempts to kill me.

For years, Zuma believes powerful forces have been trying repeatedly to poison him.

People looking to poison me, or being instructed by their handlers to do so.

Finally, poisoned. The very dangerous poison.

He's serious about this. You could say, obsessed, South Africa's security services have gone

to extraordinary lengths to check Zuma's food.

There were so much resources that were dedicated to protecting the president.

...