Jacob Zuma's Wife Took Drug Overdose [Sunday Times, 2001-03-25]

Publication: Sunday Times Issued: Date: 2001-03-25 Reporter: Ranjeni Munusami

Jacob Zuma's Wife Took Drug Overdose

Publication	Sunday Times
Date	2001-03-25
Reporter	Ranjeni Munusami
Web Link	www.sundaytimes.co.za

The 44-year-old wife of Deputy President Jacob Zuma died after taking an overdose of sleeping pills and malaria drugs.

The director-general in the Presidency, Frank Chikane, has confirmed that Kate Zuma called him on the morning of her death and told him that she had taken the drugs. She died on Friday, December 8, last year as she was being rushed to a Pretoria hospital.

Zuma, who had been married to the Deputy President for 18 years, was given a state funeral that was addressed by President Thabo Mbeki and Nelson Mandela.

The Presidency said initially that Kate Zuma, one of the Deputy President's two wives, had died of heart failure. However, Chikane and the National Police Commissioner, Jackie Selebi, confirmed on Friday that her death was being investigated by the police and that a final postmortem report was awaited.

A preliminary report established that there was an overdose of chloroquine - an antimalarial drug - in her bloodstream.

On the morning of her death, Zuma, the mother of five of the Deputy President's 10 children, phoned Chikane to tell him that she had taken an overdose of malaria and sleeping pills. It is believed she was depressed because of strained relations with her husband.

Chikane confirmed that he had received the call from Kate Zuma and had rushed to the Deputy President's official residence in Pretoria, Oliver Tambo House.

He said he immediately called the presidential emergency services and Zuma was rushed to the Muelmed Hospital.

Chikane said he remained at the house and, a short while later, he received a call from the hospital to inform him that Zuma had been declared dead on arrival.

"As the director-general of the office, the health of the President, the Deputy President and their families is my responsibility. It was therefore my task to break the news to the Deputy President that his wife had died," Chikane said.

Jacob Zuma's spokesman, Lakela Kaunda, said the Deputy President had been out of town the previous night and had just returned to his office at the Union Buildings when he was given the news.

President Mbeki apparently rushed to Zuma's office within minutes to comfort his deputy.

A Christmas party for presidential staff had been planned for the day and Mbeki, the host, immediately cancelled it.

Chikane said the presidency initially announced that Kate Zuma had died of heart failure on the strength of a report by the Surgeon-General's office. "We had to be careful not to pre-empt the findings of the postmortem It is true that she died of heart failure but what caused it is a matter of investigation," he said.

Selebi said that if the report declared Zuma had died of unnatural causes *1, a magistrate would decide whether an inquest *2 should be held.

Kaunda said the Deputy President fully supported police efforts to find out what had happened.

With acknowledgements to Ranjeni Munusamy and Sunday Times

*1       Mrs Kate Zuma definmitely died of unnatural causes *3.

*2      Was there an inquest to determine why?

What was the finding of such inquest?

*3      Indeed it can rationally be questioned whether the death was suicide. Chloroquine is not usually a medium of choice.

Also it is certainly not clear that Mrs Zuma really had strained relations with her husband.

In a polygamous marriage a wife does not usually expect fidelity.

It would also seem that her husband (and his benefactors) were providing quite well or at least sufficiently for her and her children.

Other than five clearly loved children, there was an apartment in Killarney, a Mercedes Benz, a Pajero, university fees for the older children and private school fees for the younger children.

On the surface there just doesn't seem to be a reason for suicide.

What is also curious is that despite an obvious telephonic plea for sympathy and an explanation regarding the "overdose" at 09:30, it took some thirty minutes for the presidential ambulance to be summoned and another 45 minutes to get her to a medical facility. She arrived at the clinic 75 minutes after her initial call.

Mrs Kate Zuma also had scheduled an appointment with the President at 10:00, just thirty minutes later than her phonecall.

Just about what could this appointment have been?

If one considers the geopolitical state of the nation between September 1999 and December 2000 and what specifically had occurred on 1999-09-09, 2000-09-15, 2000-10-11, 2000-10-30 and 2000-11-02 there is a good reason for an inquest.