SOUTH AFRICAN opposition parties have accused South African president Jacob Zuma of undermining the country’s fight against HIV and Aids following a newspaper report that the African National Congress (ANC) leader fathered a child out of wedlock.
The Sunday Timesreported this week that Mr Zuma has had a child with Sonono Khoza (39), the divorced daughter of Orlando Pirates football club owner and World Cup local organising committee boss Irvin Khoza, a close friend of the ANC leader.
The child was said to have been born on October 8th last. Since then Mr Zuma’s representatives have met the Khoza family to discuss inhlawulo, a traditional payment made by the father of a child born out of wedlock to the mother.
Neither the ANC nor the presidency would comment yesterday, with the latter claiming it was “an entirely private, personal matter”.
The Khoza family have also refrained from commenting.
However, the leader of the Democratic Alliance, Helen Zille, said that, given the country was battling a HIV epidemic, Mr Zuma’s personal life was far from private as it had “profound public consequences”.
South Africa has one of the world’s highest HIV prevalence rates; the government promotes single-partner relationships and the use of condoms as part of its efforts to reduce the infection rate.
“Zuma’s behaviour directly contradicts the government’s campaign against multiple sexual partners and the inherent Aids risk in having unprotected sex,” she said.
In 2006 Mr Zuma was acquitted of raping a HIV-positive woman after the presiding judge found he had consensual sex with the woman. Afterwards he apologised and said he was wrong to have unprotected sex and should have acted with more caution and responsibility.
Ms Zille said this post-trial acknowledgement by Mr Zuma appeared to have “faded from his memory, and he has once again succeeded in sending the wrong message to the South African people”.
Yesterday the Christian Democratic Party called on Mr Zuma to resign, saying he was making a mockery of the country.
“Our country needs a leader acting as a moral compass, not a president imitating Tiger Woods, Bill Clinton and King Henry VIII all in one, and all for the wrong reasons,” the party said.
Mr Zuma, a polygamist, got married for the fifth time earlier this year and is said to have fathered 20 children. Polygamy is allowed under South Africa law and is part of Zulu culture.