Publication: The Witness Issued: Date: 2008-01-05 Reporter: Bheki Mbanjwa

Private Wedding for Zuma Today

 

Publication 

The Witness
Date

2008-01-05

Reporter

Bheki Mbanjwa

Web Link

www.witness.co.za

  

When Jacob Zuma ties the knot today in Nkandla, with his fourth wife, it is expected to be a closed affair attended by a few friends and family.

The ANC president's associates were, however, still mum yesterday on the exact details of the marriage. Zuma is expected to wed at a traditional ceremony at his Nkandla homestead today.

According to reliable sources, Zuma will marry Nompumelelo Ntuli, a 33-year-old from kwaMaphumulo near Stanger.

The former nurse already has two children *2 with Zuma, a five-year-old daughter and a three-month-old son.

Zuma has been married at least three times before. He married his oldest wife, Sizakele MaKhumalo, in 1959. The pair have no children.

In 1976, Zuma was married to Kate Mantsho Zuma, who committed suicide in December 2000. They had five children *2.

In the 1980s, Zuma married Nkosazana Dlamini, who is now minister of Foreign Affairs. They have four daughters *2 together.

The pair divorced in 1997, citing "irreconcilable differences".

According to an indictment filed at the Pietermaritzburg High Court last week, convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik allegedly made payments to Kate and Dlamini-Zuma *1.

Sapa reported this week that payments to Dlamini Zuma were understood to be related to the couple's divorce settlement, details of which were never made public.

It is also understood that Zuma is currently paying lobolo for 35-year-old Thobeka Mabhija, with whom he also has two children *2.

With acknowledgements to Bheki Mbanjwa and The Witness.


*1       And a host of children - the schedule makes it look like about 11.

The salary of a Provincial Minister or Deputy President is clearly insufficient to support multiple wi9ves, multiple homesteads and dozens of offspring - hence the need fore extra0curricular sources of income.


*2      2 + 5 + 4 + 2 = 13      And these are just the "legitimate" one. There are apparently another dozen or so.

A truth is that modern polygamy is only for the super-rich.

Few politicians are legitimately super-rich.


True morality is clearly relative.