/ 11 January 2010

Most South Africans against polygamy, survey shows

The majority of South Africans do not believe a man should have more than one wife, a TNS survey has found.

The poll was conducted to ascertain what South Africans expected of their leaders regarding morality and their private lives.

This survey follows President Jacob Zuma’s marriage to his fifth wife earlier this month.

Seventy-four percent of the 2 000 South Africans surveyed felt that polygamy was a problem, with females more opposed to it than men.

Of the black South Africans surveyed, 68% were against it, while 86% of whites, 85% of coloureds and 78% of Indians surveyed disagreed with it.

Sixty-four percent of men disagreed with having more than one wife and 83% of women disagreed.

Only 18% of those respondents agreed that it was not a problem for a man to have more than one wife.

However, over half of those polled felt their leader’s private life should be kept out of the public eye.

The study was conducted among a sample of 1 260 black South Africans, 385 whites, 240 coloureds and 115 Indians/Asians in the seven major metropolitan areas with a margin of error of under 2,5%

Wives not at war
Meanwhile, Zuma’s brother has refuted reports that the president’s wives, Tobeka Madiba and Nompumelelo Ntuli are at each other’s throats.

“There is no such a thing. They are not fighting. They [the media] should have asked us as a family to tell them the truth,” Zuma’s younger brother Michael said on Wednesday.

The Times reported that Madiba and Ntuli were “extremely jealous” of each other, to the point that Ntuli boycotted Madiba’s wedding to the president on Monday. – Sapa