Tag: Jacob Zuma

Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma is a South African politician who served as the fourth President of South Africa from the 2009 general election until his resignation on 14 February 2018. Zuma is also referred to by his initials JZ and his clan name Msholozi.

Personal details

Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma

Born: 12 April 1942

Nkandla, South Africa

Political party: African National Congress

Spouse(s):

Gertrude Sizakele Khumalo (m. 1973)

Kate Mantsho (m. 1976; died 2000)

Nkosazana Dlamini (m. 1982; div. 1998)

Nompumelelo Ntuli (m. 2008)

Thobeka Mabhija (m. 2010)

Gloria Bongekile Ngema (m. 2012)

Children

20 (estimated),including Gugulethu, Thuthukile and Duduzane

Personal life

Wives

Jacob Zuma is a polygamist who has been married six times. In 2012 The Daily Telegraph estimated Zuma to have 20 children, whereas The Guardian in 2014 stated he had 21.

Gertrude Sizakele Khumalo (MaKhumalo), whom he met in 1959 and married shortly after his release from prison in 1973.They have no children.

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, a cabinet minister from 1994 to 2012, with whom he has four daughters, Msholozi (born 1982), Gugulethu Zuma-Ncube (born 1985), Thuli (born 1987), and Thuthukile Zuma (born 28 April 1989). They divorced in June 1998.

Kate Mantsho (born 2 September 1956), from Mozambique, with whom he had five children, Mxolisi (b. 1980, married Phindile Luthuli in Durban in 2008, betrothed to Swazi princess Ziyanda Dlamini), twins Duduzile and Duduzane (b. 1984), Phumzile (b. 1989) and Vusi (born 1993, died 2 July 2018). She committed suicide on 8 December 2000 and is buried in Heroes’ Acre at Westpark Cemetery in Johannesburg.

Nompumelelo Ntuli (MaNtuli), married on 8 January 2008. Ntuli, born 1975, is a resident of KwaMaphumulo near Stanger and has three children. The first two are Thandisiwe and Sinqobile.

Thobeka Stacie Madiba (born Mabhija, her mother’s name), married 4 January 2010, with whom he has three children. Zuma paid lobola to her clan in 2007. Their first child was born in October 2007. She has another of Zuma’s out-of-wedlock children living with her. Mabhija grew up in Umlazi, where she matriculated at Umlazi Commercial High School. She has worked at Standard Bank, Ithala, Cell C and SA Homeloans in La Lucia. She owns a house in Durban North. In 2016, the BBC credited her for campaigning for the rights of girls at risk of forced or child-age marriage.

Gloria Bongekile Ngema, married on 20 April 2012. The wedding took place in Nkandla and was attended by Zuma’s three other wives. Following a traditional ceremony known as umgcagco, the bridal party participated in a traditional Zulu competitive celebratory dance. Ngema has one son with Zuma, Sinqumo.

In June 2012, activists, including some from the ANC itself, complained about the amount the state paid to support Zuma’s wives, especially in the context of the country’s widespread poverty. In 2009–10 Zuma received a budget of £1.2m for “spousal support”, almost twice the amount paid during the terms in office of Thabo Mbeki and Kgalema Motlanthe, leading to suggestions that only Zuma’s first wife should receive state support.

Fiancées

Zuma paid 10 cattle as lobola for Swazi Princess Sebentile Dlamini in 2003.

Other children

He has another son, Edward, born 1977, with Minah Shongwe, sister of Judge Jeremiah Shongwe, who asked to be recused from Zuma’s rape trial because of the liaison.

He has two daughters, born 18 January 1998 and 19 September 2002, with Pietermaritzburg businesswoman Priscilla Nonkwaleko Mhlongo. In March 2017 Mhlongo was named as one of the speakers in a covert recording in which she was alleged to have outlined a plan for illegally defrauding the province of kwaZulu-Natal of a proportion of its school meals budget, apparently with Zuma’s knowledge.

There are reports of four other children – three from a woman from Johannesburg and one from a woman from Richard’s Bay.

Zuma had a child with 24 year old Nonkanyiso Conco, born on Zuma’s birthday, April 12, 2018. They plan to marry, with lobola negotiations under way.

2009 “love-child”

In January 2010, The Sunday Times reported that Sonono Khoza, the daughter of Irvin Khoza, gave birth to Zuma’s 20th child on 8 October 2009, a daughter called Thandekile Matina Zuma. Zuma confirmed that he had paid inhlawulo, acknowledging paternity. He protested the publishing of the child’s name, saying it was illegal exploitation of the child. He denied that the incident had relevance to the government’s AIDS programme (which promotes marital fidelity as a mechanism for preventing the disease), and appealed for privacy. On 6 February, Zuma said he “deeply regretted the pain that he caused to his family, the ANC, the alliance and South Africans in general. “The office of the presidency’s comment was that it was a private matter, and the ANC defended Zuma, saying it saw no links between its policies on HIV/AIDS and Mr Zuma’s personal life. ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema said “We are Africans and sitting here all of us, Zuma is our father so we are not qualified to talk about that”. Malema said the ANCYL would emphasise its HIV programme and “one boyfriend, one girlfriend” stance in an awareness campaign across the country. ANC Women’s League deputy president Nosipho Dorothy Ntwanambi said: “it is not right to have an extramarital affair if you have committed to yourself to a marriage. But under the Customary Marriages Act, if the first wife agrees, and if all these issues are discussed with her, we can’t do anything.” On 5 February, the ANC acknowledged the widespread disapproval by saying that the experience had “taught us many valuable lessons”, and they had listened to the people. COSATU, an ANC alliance partner, passed no judgment but hoped that it will be “a matter on Zuma’s conscience” Vavi reiterated Zuma’s appeal then that he be accorded his “right to privacy” and the child protected from undue publicity.

Helen Zille of the Democratic Alliance said Zuma contradicted his public message of safe sex to South Africans, who have a high incidence of AIDS and HIV infection. She said it was wrong to say it was purely a private matter, and elected public officials had to embody the principles and values for which they stand. The African Christian Democratic Party said Zuma was undermining the government’s drive to persuade people to practise safe sex to combat HIV and AIDS. while the Congress of the People (COPE) said Zuma could no longer use African cultural practices to justify his “promiscuity”. Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille, said Zuma was asking people “to do as I say and not as I do”.