The media were making “a mountain out of nothing” over reports about President Jacob Zuma’s love child, the ANC said on Monday.
“Why should a relationship between two adults be made an issue?” ANC spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said in a statement.
“Why should it make headlines? Why is it characterised by some media as a ‘shame to the nation’?”.
Mthembu described the reports as an “unjustified” and “disingenuous” attack on Zuma.
“There is nothing wrong that the president has done. There is nothing shameful when two adults have a relationship,” he said.
“By being involved with any other person, President Zuma is not guilty of any offence and he has not breached our Constitution or any of our laws.”
The statement marked the first time the ANC has broken its silence since the Sunday Times article which reported that Zuma fathered a child with Sonono Khoza, the daughter of soccer tycoon and Soccer World Cup local organising committee chairperson Irvin Khoza.
The child was reportedly born on October 8, three months before Zuma — a polygamist — married for a fifth time. The child was reportedly Zuma’s 20th.
According to the Sunday Times, a delegation acting on Zuma’s behalf visited the Khoza family in December to discuss payment [inhlawulo] — due when a child is born out of wedlock.
Zuma has publicly defended his polygamous lifestyle, most recently at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Personal matter
In his statement on Monday, Mthembu said Zuma’s relationships were a “personal matter”.
“As the ANC, we have always made a distinction between people’s personal affairs and their public responsibilities. Insofar as we are concerned, the alleged relationship of the president and anyone should be treated as such.”
Zuma has been criticised by opposition parties, with the Democratic Alliance accusing him of damaging the struggle against HIV/Aids.
However, the ANC said it did not see a correlation between Zuma’s personal relationships and the ANC’s policies on HIV/Aids.
Spokesperson in the presidency Vincent Magwenya declined to comment on the love-child claims on Monday.
“That’s an entirely private personal matter. That’s all I can tell you on record. I cannot tell you more or less.”
The ANC Women’s League and ANC Youth League also believed it was “something private”.
“With many African people for instance, and generally speaking, it is not right to have an extramarital affair if you have committed to yourself to a marriage, but many men are known to have these relationships,” said ANC Women’s League deputy president Nosipho Dorothy Ntwanambi.
“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.”
ANC Youth League president Julius Malema said it would be “disrespectful” to even discuss the matter.
“We are Africans and sitting here all of us, Zuma is our father so we are not qualified to talk about that,” he said in response to questions about the baby.
Analysts, however, said the public had a right to an answer.
“I think it’s sufficiently of public interest to warrant media attention, because rightly or wrongly his private life has become a matter of public discussion,” said University of the Witwatersrand media ethics professor Franz Kruger.
“He, himself, has been quite happy to talk about his polygamous arrangements. He is quite happy to invite media to his wedding. He has put it out there,” said Kruger, who has written a book on media ethics.
Congress of the People president Terror Lekota, who described the revelations as “scandalous”, said Zuma had long been a “poor role model”.
“His continued use of African custom as a smokescreen is also no longer acceptable. Polygamy is not promiscuity and his behaviour is not justifiable under any circumstances,” he said in a statement.
Lekota urged South Africans to “tell President Zuma to start behaving like a president and not a gigolo”.
Zuma’s behaviour spelled the “death of every women’s dream”, added Cope’s women’s movement.
“His outdated and baseless customary affection to making love to every woman, and without protection nogal [in addition], is blatantly demeaning to women and making our beloved country and its good people the laughing stock of the human race,” said Cope women’s provincial leader Clara Motau. – Sapa