South Africa P.I.G.: POLYGAMY

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Jacob Zuma is a sex-obsessed bigot with four wives and 35 children. So why is Britain fawning over this vile buffoon?

By Stephen Robinson on 02nd March 2010 <img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444119095084985522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPnsm0h0QTvuy5TgyIk85iKV-ld7ZAgVmkGOCj5wH9rx19avpV-EpB86n5_b8kxULW7aK_f7VT5jI82uyZqtFIDkVSWXGaFimZK70D-lfsRDpwLJEYomXX4TGVfeKFHl11UjUvtTQweAxK/s400/zapiro0203_517056d.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 282px; CURSOR: hand" />Spare a thought for the Buckingham Palace protocol officials tomorrow when His Excellency President Jacob Zuma arrives in London for his first state visit to these shores. For this incoming 'One hundred per cent Zulu Boy', as the South African President styles himself when he has an election to win, presents unique challenges of planning for the courtiers. The formal announcement of the state visit primly notes that the President will be accompanied during his three-day stay at Buckingham Palace by 'his wife Mrs Thobeka Madiba Zuma'. This is not untrue - but nor is it quite the whole truth. <img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444094403350338386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHAj0NIm0p2iXIukd3IxmoloOHlBAF39E-uaOV4tmW7x9CXqXMuAU3PFWMH1_vMqRQd5g-wGEsoGlz0NM1OHICB4fE_nrgJrxbQYSBafGTmedyGbhoX6C-qke3e0yTjZBp6QIbUmDSBsgs/s400/ZUMA-BUFFOON.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 328px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" /> Buffoon: Jacob Zuma with one of his four wives Because Thobeka is just one of Mr Zuma's four living wives, not including one from Mozambique who committed suicide in 2000. She is also one of the estimated ten women with whom the libidinous Zuma has sired the 20 children he acknowledges to be his own. On top of that, Zuma has paid lobolo - a sort of tribal deposit on a future bride - to the families of at least two more potential wives. On a recent visit to South Africa, I was told very confidently by a man who knows the inner workings of the government that Zuma's true tally is actually 35 children, including a set of twins with a woman from Ukraine. One thing is clear. Jacob Zuma could not be more different from the man in whose long shadow he must walk - South Africa's great and first democratic leader, Nelson Mandela. But to go back to the hard-pressed Palace courtiers in charge of protocol, how can they prevent disaster in the diplomatic minefield of tomorrow night's state banquet? At these state dinners it is traditional to invite leaders of the 'arts community' to break up the stodgy ranks of diplomats and establishment bigwigs who tend to get the bulk of the invitations. But will theatrical greats such as Sir Ian McKellen be comfortable breaking bread with a man who has described same-sex marriage as 'a disgrace to the nation and to God', and who boasted that when he was a young man, any sensible homosexual would have got out of his way because: 'I would have knocked him out.' Will our bishops want to nibble canapes with a man who won the South African election last year by appearing at rallies and singing the old ANC guerilla war song: 'Bring Me My Machine Gun'? At the time, this was interpreted by many South Africans as a grotesque disavowal of Mandela's exhortation to his supporters to throw their weapons into the sea. And for that matter, would Harriet Harman, assiduously promoting her equality agenda as the General Election nears, wish to discuss gender issues with a man who, when charged with rape in 2005, protested in court that the alleged victim was wearing an extremely short skirt. <img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444094418998531922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6ggVu3-PnGx0mhyu3cMGdW1H2hoMqvjRTf2HzYW6rChwWxpUXNWec2tdsg4wR78FF4l5p-ewlZ-8l9CtvtjuovDkxu2PWvIyT0ATMJSC2p4mF79eitJMq1PwH2BwoiRwfLoq2S74J58i/s400/ZUMA-3-WIVES.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 250px; CURSOR: hand" /> Polygamous: Zuma with three of his wives - Sizakele, right, Nompumelo, left, and Thobeka 'In Zulu culture you cannot leave a woman if she is ready,' Zuma told the judge. 'To deny her sex would have been tantamount to rape.' Knowing that the woman he had imposed himself upon was HIV positive and that he had not used a condom, Zuma took a postcoital shower, believing that would protect him against the virus. The Foreign Office expects the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to submit themselves to an average of only two incoming state visits a year, so why was it thought necessary to honour Zuma in this way? It is not as though South African leaders have been strangers to Buckingham Palace in recent years. President Mandela came on a state visit two years after winning the first democratic election in 1994, and returned again 18 months ago during his 90th birthday celebrations. Thabo Mbeki, Zuma's predecessor as president, came over with his wife on a state visit in 2001. Which all means there was certainly no diplomatic need for Britain to mark Zuma's installation in power last year. During almost 60 years on the throne, the Queen has learned she broadly has to do what the Foreign Office tells her, so she throws open Buckingham Palace and pins medals on the chest of any murderous dictator the government wishes to suck up to. Zuma may not have matched the grotesque misrule of Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, who was welcomed to the Palace in 1994. But he tends to side with the mobs who have invaded the white-owned, productive farms rather than those who used to produce the country's food.'Europeans often ignore the fact that Mugabe is very popular among Africans. In their eyes, he has given blacks their country back after centuries of colonialism,' Zuma has said. 'The people love him, so how can we condemn him?' No wonder that affluent South Africans, black and white, are now so concerned by the course South Africa is taking under Zuma, and fearful they are on a trajectory towards becoming the continent's next basket case. It seems utterly misguided to have invited Zuma at a time when it is becoming ever more evident that South Africa is being turned into an organised kleptocracy. With timing that seems suspiciously fortunate given the looming state visit, the government this month announced a deal with British Aerospace to end investigations into whether bribes were paid in several recent contracts. This is fortunate for Zuma - he was deeply implicated in the bribes paid by European defence contractors, including British Aerospace, over a gigantic 1998 South African arms deal. Schabir Shaik, Zuma's personal financial adviser, was one of the few men to stand trial for corruption as Thabo Mbeki's government kicked over the traces of the arms deal and other corruption scandals. <img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444094409181389026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGfVVFk_FXgnFOWJprV9g_KXW8erZMUCJ3PAGCJiYlXxtKEVMvf9tJLxTDRL_OC_xkKR5Q-eV5-ZpbkfbCag7KC3_ZygIPHrWywyWvbswYTteYMW0DJn2FrOEeFeSGJDwEol9KbR2FhTi/s400/ZUMA-LONDON-VISIT.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 244px; CURSOR: hand" /> State visit: The flags of South Africa and Britain fly together on the Mall in London for Zuma's visit Shaik was convicted of making several illegal payments to Zuma, and in effect underwriting the cost of his substantial private home to accommodate his various wives and children.The truth is that corruption is now so prevalent that South Africans have lost their capacity to be shocked by it. But Zuma may not be forgiven for his flamboyant sex life. Having been acquitted of rape, then mobbed by jubilant supporters, Zuma believed he was beyond criticism. Yet he now finds himself in political difficulty after the recent revelation of the birth of the 20th acknowledged child, to a woman in Durban. This broke a deal he made with the party that even if he could not conquer his libido, he would at least behave with discretion, and stop impregnating casual sexual partners. Like the 19th-century missionaries who attempted to stamp it out, the ruling ANC party disapproves of polygamy, partly because it reinforces white men's stereotypes of Africans as somehow uncivilised. But Aids is the much more compelling explanation for why Zuma finds himself in trouble. With an HIV infection rate feared to be close to 30 per cent, and with South Africa's rural areas overwhelmed by hundreds of thousands of Aids orphans, Zuma's manic promiscuity is setting a terrible example and has become a matter of grave public concern. The ANC was forced, in a formal statement, to acknowledge the level of public disquiet about Zuma's conduct. And there is now even talk at the highest level of the ANC that Zuma might not be allowed a second term as president. Since Thabo Mbeki (who had demented ideas about Aids) was forced from office, the government has made progress in changing the sexual attitudes of black South Africans. Zuma has blown a hole in this campaign for the sake of his nights of passion. No doubt the guests tomorrow night in London will be too polite to raise such delicate matters with the guest of honour. But millions of South Africans, viewing television images of the Zulu Boy at Buckingham Palace, will wonder why the Queen is honouring a man who back home is rapidly becoming a very bad joke. Source: - <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1254748/Jacob-Zuma-sex-obsessed-bigot--Britain-fawning-him.html">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1254748/Jacob-Zuma-sex-obsessed-bigot--Britain-fawning-him.html</a>

Jacob Zuma is a sex-obsessed bigot with four wives and 35 children. So why is Britain fawning over this vile buffoon?

By Stephen Robinson on 02nd March 2010 Spare a thought for the Buckingham Palace protocol officials tomorrow when His Excellency President J...

9:23 AM

Getting to know the real Jacob Zuma

The latest controversy surrounding President Jacob Zuma illustrates a consistent thread running through his presidency: power abuse. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3HJrO_kjBJOnHNw1RrbD57iypM1sCZfvRMbP2_4T-1KhguMzJ72I5QSEwSKpvsMiaIxE4cJDzC7Kc8Q6H1cPICwCwgE3_kisOGm57rh9LYbVIqTzyAQEWHrW720grXqpX-aR7nR3x6_0/s1600-h/ancposter5475.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439733198991668434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3HJrO_kjBJOnHNw1RrbD57iypM1sCZfvRMbP2_4T-1KhguMzJ72I5QSEwSKpvsMiaIxE4cJDzC7Kc8Q6H1cPICwCwgE3_kisOGm57rh9LYbVIqTzyAQEWHrW720grXqpX-aR7nR3x6_0/s400/ancposter5475.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 291px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>Zuma believes he is above the law and social norms. He believes that - by virtue of his position - he can get away with anything. One of his close political associates summed it up the other day when he said, in conversation: Jacob Zuma has a mandate from 11 million people so he can do what he likes. This attitude applies to Zuma's financial dealings, his relationships with women, and to his relationship with his citizens. If any institution of state gets in his way, it is effectively neutered. If any government campaign requires him to change his behaviour, it is ignored. Behind his undoubted warmth and charm, this is the real Jacob Zuma. It is also the real ANC. This is how the ANC understands and uses power. We have, during the past year, witnessed the cynical manipulation that has turned the National Prosecuting Authority and the Judicial Service Commission into extensions of the ANC to protect President Zuma. The Zuma clique in the ruling party does not seem to grasp that, in a constitutional democracy, ruling parties and their leaders are not above the law or social norms. They may not ignore their own policies. They must be held to account. And they must lead by example. So what has this got to do with the birth of Jacob Zuma's 20th child? Everything. Firstly, Zuma does not consider himself bound by the norms of safe sex that he exhorts his fellow citizens to follow. It is worth repeating what he said in December last year on World Aids Day: "Prevention is our most powerful weapon against the epidemic… All South Africans should take steps to ensure that they do not become infected, that they do not infect others and that they know their status. Each individual must take responsibility for protection against HIV...It does not mean that we should be irresponsible in our sexual practices. It does not mean that people do not have to practice safer sex. It does not mean that people should not use condoms consistently and correctly during every sexual encounter. We can eliminate the scourge of HIV if all South Africans take responsibility for their actions." Quite clearly, there is one norm for Jacob Zuma and another for everybody else. This attitude is rooted in the same assumptions that justify his destruction of independent state institutions that seek to call him to account on legal matters against him. After all, he has a mandate from 11 million people. He can do what he likes. Secondly, the birth of his little girl in October last year neatly illustrates his abuse of power as a husband. This baby was conceived between two marriages. No culture, polygamous or otherwise, justifies cheating on your wife/wives. This is confirmed by cultural expert Ndela Nelson Ntshangase of the University of KwaZulu-Natal: "Polygamy allows all children to be born into a family, to have access to both parents, unlike an illegitimate child…If a child is born out of wedlock... the illegitimate child is in a vulnerable position, she is standing on a slippery slope because the child is born into a broken family." And yet, Zuma has tried to appeal to culture to defend himself. Like the race card, Zuma and the ANC play the culture card to try and silence legitimate criticism. This opportunistic strategy is actually an abuse of culture. Indeed, it is part of Zuma's pattern of power abuse. And it justifies further abuse of that culture by his supporters. As Julius Malema said: "We are Africans, we cannot discuss the private affairs of our elders and Zuma is a father to us all." The fact is, promiscuity and philandering are not part of Zulu culture, they are in conflict with it. As cultural analyst, Nomboniso Gasa points out: "According to the cultural milieu to which Malema refers, leadership is earned every day. Ukuzeyisa nobungcathu - self-control, discipline, modesty about one's desires are critical qualities of leadership." We cannot allow appeals to culture, especially when they are self-servingly distorted, to stop legitimate criticism of an elected leader who is accountable for his actions. Zuma can, and must, be called to account for private actions that have public consequences, particularly when those consequences are so profound. The truth is that Zuma has set us back at least a decade in the fight against HIV/Aids. His actions will have a far more negative impact than even the Aids denialism of Thabo Mbeki. Getting bogged down in esoteric theories and quack science would have had far less impact on people's behaviour, than a leader who by his own example, justifies unprotected sex. The inevitable response of millions of young men will be: "If the President can do it so can I." This attitude undermines the entire edifice of the government's HIV/Aids programme. It will destroy many lives. And it will cost the taxpayers millions in treating people who contract HIV/AIDS as a result. There is a clear parallel between Zuma's attitude to HIV/AIDS and his corruption trial. By manipulating the criminal justice system to ensure that he never had to answer the allegations against him in court, he sent out the message that it is okay to be corrupt. It is nobody's culture to justify corruption. In his admission yesterday, Zuma railed against "opportunistic" critics for encroaching on an "intensely private" matter that does not consider the rights of the child. Really? How touching. One has to ask: To what extent has his behavior considered the rights of this child, his other children, or every other South African child? One of the root causes of social disintegration in our country is the failure of so many fathers to take responsibility for their children. Absent fathers rob children of a present parent. Often, they deprive a family of a crucial income source to give children the opportunities they deserve in life. Zuma is sending out a message that it is okay to father as many children as you want, whatever the social consequences and burden on the state. The difference is that the average single-parent cannot afford to look after 20 children. Indeed, it is questionable whether even Jacob Zuma - on a President's salary - can do so either. Questions need to be asked about where he gets the money to support all his wives and children, but that is another issue for another day. It may have been feasible in a by-gone rural era, for 20 children of a single father to be properly cared for, nurtured and mentored in an extended family network. In a fragmented urban environment, it is not possible. The children inevitably suffer the consequences. It is nobody's culture to diminish their children's chances in life. Many of Zuma's actions demonstrate the ANC's belief that there is one law for themselves, and another for the rest of South Africa. Zuma can get way with things that ordinary people can't. Not only this, he is shielded from the consequences of his actions. This is power abuse, pure and simple. If there is anything positive about this episode, it is that South Africa is getting to know the real Jacob Zuma, beyond the charm. The honeymoon, (in the figurative sense at least), is over! Helen Zille

Getting to know the real Jacob Zuma

The latest controversy surrounding President Jacob Zuma illustrates a consistent thread running through his presidency: power abuse . Zuma b...

3:31 PM

Open letter to Mr President from Evita Bezuidenhout

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUAZBS7jA7iNSONY7Hcox2gnucVRDUp6fOLcp0HBqM8ARBYu7Eue9jxF_sXuK-XukkMtdhjkFrjxkQEj37y2Bi0aCsYVijpxQ0sQFSFjWIA1nWjw7nBMt-Bjuah4lV9JOigM9qI6P2N5FM/s1600-h/ZUMA-20-KIDS.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440430735425791954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUAZBS7jA7iNSONY7Hcox2gnucVRDUp6fOLcp0HBqM8ARBYu7Eue9jxF_sXuK-XukkMtdhjkFrjxkQEj37y2Bi0aCsYVijpxQ0sQFSFjWIA1nWjw7nBMt-Bjuah4lV9JOigM9qI6P2N5FM/s400/ZUMA-20-KIDS.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>Dear President Zuma, I won’t address you as Father of the Nation because I know you don’t like formalities. I treasure your allowing me to still call you by your Zulu name, Innocent. For all the years we have passed each other in the passages of power you have always treated me with great respect. Granted, I’ve never been alone in a room with you for more than a minute. People have come to me in the past few days and said, “Evita, talk to him. Make him realise he is not just a song-and-dance man.” Of course you’re not. You were a major player in the Struggle against apartheid, and let the world now know that you have been responsible for extraordinary things during the past 30 years. But nothing as extraordinary as your personal collection of beautiful wives. Liewe aarde, Innocent, what competition are you trying to win here? How is it possible that a man who is so involved in politics as president of a young democracy that needs as much supervision as a 16-year-old delinquent child finds so much time to share with not just one wife but three? At what time of day can you get to your office if there are so many wives to kiss goodbye in the morning? And you have to be fair and kiss them all, other¬wise we will sit with a never-ending television series called Desperate First Ladies! But then, when you should be addressing the problems of poverty, xenophobia, Zimbabwe, presidential pardons - to mention but a few - you spend those moments creating more Zumettes. They say already 20 children from your own loins, and maybe we can add one or two for those slipped out without you noticing ? Maggies man, carry on like that and you will have your own football teams to win the cup for South Africa in 2018 ! Innocent, I like you. I even respect you. I want you to be the best president we've had since Nelson Mandela decided to hand over the reigns to someone else. There is no reason for you to fail. You came to power as our third democratically elected leader in spite of a nightmare audition; months of court actions and trials, miles of media blah blah reporting every rumour and gossip. Freedom of speech is sacred in our land and while some of the media went too far and showered you with accusations, don't they have the right ? Is that why today you protect freedom of speech but want terms and conditions to apply ? You have apologised. I am a bit older than you and yet you make me feel like a school girl at your feet. You smile at me. You laugh at my words. You sing for me and you dance around me. It is captivating. You start to sing. You move into a dance. And when all that is over, the media have forgotten the question. Of course I have a lot to say but I don't, because I as a white woman have an opinion about the foibles of your government I am called racist and told to shut up or emigrate. Well, I won't do either ! I will build up enough courage to write you this letter, because it's time we stood up and spoke. Not as whites, not as men and women, but as citizens of a magical country that was given a second chance to make it's dreams come true. I see some leaders pooh pooh FW de Klerk's celebration of his legendary speech of 2nd February 1990 which lead to the freeing of Nelson Mandela and the unbanning of the ANC and SA Communist party (SACP) and other minor irritations. They say it happened only as a result of the Struggle. My skat, the last thing anyone expected was to be handed the nightmare of a bankrupt blood-soaked South Africa. We gave it to you and now it's yours, Innocent. I'm on your side Msholozi, If I may use your clan name, I have no problem with your cultural, traditional weapons of marriage. All your ZuMamas are a joy to behold. I remember seeing them at the opening of parliament last year, when you made your first state-of-the-nation address as president. They were all asleep in the gallery. Thanks to that we know that there are no power hungry Hillary Clintons among them, no overambitious Winnies or scheming Lady Macbeths. I have no problem with you. I have a problem with what the people see in you. My son De Kock, does aids awareness talks at schools. Recently he was at a school in Soweto, demonstrating safe sex through the use of condoms. After the talk a group of senior learners approached him. They liked his presentation. "But must you go on about condoms ? We know," said one. De Kock said he was pleased that they were informed but there were many others that needed the information. "Why?" asked the other young man "We don't need condoms. We have a shower" De Kock laughed loudly, as we all would. There was no smiles on the faces of the young men. "Why do you laugh?" the one asked angrily. "Well" said De Kock, "you refer to Jacob Zuma having a shower after unprotected sex." "So ? what's funny ? Are you calling our president a liar ?" De Kock realised there was no joke here. "Jacob Zuma is our president, We follow by example," was their parting statement. Innocent, you lead by example, like it or not ! If there is one thing you need to impregnate it is our country. Give us the benefit of your strength, your humour, your wisdom, your compassion and your focus. We need you. You might say, "Why must I listen to Evita Bezuidenhout ?" Well if you listen to Julius Malema, I too have a right to your ear. And I passed woodwork at school with a B+. So, vuk'uzenzele, M-shower-lozi ! Practice what you preach and, please, put your love in a plastic bag. Sincerely, Evita Bezuidenhout From Evita Bezuidenhout a popular SA political playwright.

Open letter to Mr President from Evita Bezuidenhout

Dear President Zuma, I won’t address you as Father of the Nation because I know you don’t like formalities. I treasure your allowing me to s...

2:54 PM

For your convenience, Mr Zuma

"Vleispasty" (meat pie), my younger, far less attractive sister wants to know why Jacob Zuma hasn't asked for her hand in marriage yet. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB3beTp-1ol9AueHJgEC1Vt0PVVrwPByu-Y_qOT_TZruFWnAyd0HbaD_KSjDsuJMXfn1WFAclh4Q_mlKQfN-3V6Oisc3IOjEOyCX0I5qX08kDQQtYR0iIijkH7NXFKGlzljmAFtmHjKy99/s1600-h/zuma-pot-belly.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425607298134660562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB3beTp-1ol9AueHJgEC1Vt0PVVrwPByu-Y_qOT_TZruFWnAyd0HbaD_KSjDsuJMXfn1WFAclh4Q_mlKQfN-3V6Oisc3IOjEOyCX0I5qX08kDQQtYR0iIijkH7NXFKGlzljmAFtmHjKy99/s400/zuma-pot-belly.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 280px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 390px" /></a>With wife number six on the line and the South African tax payer no doubt footing the security, housing and other bills, and with my pudgy little sis notoriously lazy, I can see why she would not mind being the Sunday night chick...unless JZ also rests on that day. It wouldn't surprise me if he did. Busy job running a country, keeping your friends out of jail and dancing in traditional gear on national television. By the looks of things on the e tv news report, our commander in (Zulu) Chief could do with less pap and more balance but, who cares frankly when there's consummation to be had and pardons to be extended. My sister, Mr President, will make a fine wife and add a little bit of vanilla to the harem. In all fairness I feel I need to warn you, however, that old Vleispasty has always had a bit of a temper and does not take kindly to being told what to do. Added to that she's fiercely feminist and opposed to all manner of useless and /or outdated traditions, which means that next year there will be no beating of a bull if you want to get to know her on a carnal level. I also think you need to know that she's got zero to absolutely no time for children and their antics. This, of course, means that you will have to close the kindergarten and get rid of half the country's ministers. It also means that "The Hawks" have more chance of doing anything noteworthy than you will have fathering her child. Just on the topic of "The Hawks" and pardon my digressing, but what have these caged budgies done over the past few months? I've hardly hear a thing bar the latest attempt at halting the merciless crime wave, aka, probing leaks in matric exams. Is THIS the kind of thing the country's so-called "premiere" law enforcement agency should be spending its time on? I bet that a half-drunk private investigator with bad hair and even worse breath, hailing from Phalaborwa where he was raised by a family of Crocodile hunting nomads could crack the case in half a bottle of Crackling. Putting the country's "top cops" on the job is a bit like sending a SWAT team to take down a group of pot-smoking teens on matric vac. Don't you think? I suspect "The Budgies" are in desperate need of publicity and can we expect many meaningless appearances in the media as we build up to the Soccer World Cup. Afterwards they will no doubt retreat to the crime hotspot of Mandela Square steakhouses where they will plan, plot and discuss the road forward - over tax-payer sponsored cigars and single malt whiskey. Tough place this Africa... Anyway Mr Zuma, let me not keep you from your busy schedule. There are breakfasts to be had, state dinners to attend and wives to wed. I am betting you are going to turn at roughly lady number 11, so why not do something for national unity and mix things up - starting with my sister. She's waiting for your call.

For your convenience, Mr Zuma

"Vleispasty" (meat pie), my younger, far less attractive sister wants to know why Jacob Zuma hasn't asked for her hand in marr...

12:46 PM

Jacob Zuma's R65m home expansion

Jacob Zuma has prompted anger with a reported R65m expansion of his personal residence in one of the country's poorest regions. Zuma's rural homestead will gain a police station, helipad, military clinic, visitors' centre, parking lot for 40 vehicles and three houses, according to South Africa's Mail & Guardian newspaper, which claimed taxpayers would foot "the largest chunk of the bill". <img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416986899656532962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbU9xiDBds6WbsUv1MJ_i3yk3rUj4q8FqG1VrQhluuDAgd1Pc9f4r6ip6DYlGJl0Rqb17VhUCRyKt9lLfV_L3-dO3XVKTk4oSdEUlFWs9cLUiX8avwh0ZdKbibCEFftJ5CovkorlWCyyq/s400/jacob-zuma-001.jpg" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" />New houses are apparently being built to accommodate Zuma's three wives, the paper said. Critics accused the president of "conspicuous consumption in the face of dire poverty". The rural family homestead is in Nkandla, in KwaZulu-Natal province, where many of Zuma's neighbours lack electricity or running water. Official figures show that more than half of KwaZulu-Natal's 10 million population live in poverty, with 1.2 million surviving on less than R200 a month. Sources told the paper that the expansion will cost an estimated R65m. Polygamy is common in rural KwaZulu and Zuma is no exception. His residence has a house for his first wife, Sizakele Khumalo. More are reportedly being built to accommodate his other wives, Nompumelelo Ntuli and Thobeka Mabhija. The houses will have thatched roofs and contain his-and-hers bathrooms, walk-in closets and a study. One will contain four bedrooms; the smaller will have three. The costly transformation was criticised as insensitive a day after Zuma warned that more jobs could be lost because of a recession that has put nearly a million out of work. William Gumede, a political author, said: "A massive house in South Africa costs R10m, so why spend R65m? … It's conspicuous consumption in the face of dire poverty." The South African presidency said no government funding would be used for Zuma's household, but the state would be responsible for the adjacent developments. "We … reject any insinuation that there could be any untoward abuse of state resources by the president or his family," it said.

Jacob Zuma's R65m home expansion

Jacob Zuma has prompted anger with a reported R65m expansion of his personal residence in one of the country's poorest regions. Zuma...

8:26 AM

All the president's expenses

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilviSb1PgeXZU2MvH0JsYH9k-rQXzyHD_i_wMyejN_I5O3MIw6Bss5f9yyt06l7rVlpAOTqfbK8MUlfnSWNyfmh4zIFxScpV6SHUtjY8a6lVUjkUeu9XNKD9tjE_k0O2ObnU33QamCSok/s1600-h/african-polygamy.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302062876587355874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilviSb1PgeXZU2MvH0JsYH9k-rQXzyHD_i_wMyejN_I5O3MIw6Bss5f9yyt06l7rVlpAOTqfbK8MUlfnSWNyfmh4zIFxScpV6SHUtjY8a6lVUjkUeu9XNKD9tjE_k0O2ObnU33QamCSok/s400/african-polygamy.bmp" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 382px" /></a>Jacob Zuma looks set to become the most costly president in South African history... Picture the scene: Jacob Zuma, newly installed president of the Republic of South Africa goes abroad on a state visit and is introduced by his hosts. ‘’The president of South Africa, President Zuma and Mrs Zuma ... and Mrs Zuma ... and Mrs Zuma ... and Mrs Zuma.’’</spam>An unlikely scenario, as Zuma will, hopefully, announce the name of his first lady shortly. But, far-fetched as it might sound, the spouses of South Africa’s first polygamist leader will be afforded equal status in terms of the Customary Marriages Act. This is an unusual situation by modern, global standards. For South African taxpayers, it will be a very expensive situation. With his mounting legal costs, as well as the high price of being a polygamist with numerous children in the highest office of the land, Zuma looks set to become South Africa’s most costly president yet. When Zuma appeared in the Pietermaritzburg High Court last week on charges of fraud and corruption, his case would have already cost South African taxpayers R10,7 million. This is without factoring in the costs of the state in instituting the prosecution, which legal experts say could add up to just as much as Zuma’s legal costs. Two weeks ago, Die Burger newspaper reported that the Friends of Jacob Zuma Trust believes the total cost of prosecuting Zuma could already have reached the R100 million mark and that the trust is now threatening to bring a case against the NPA on the basis that it is wasting public money. And his main trial hasn’t even begun. But, legal costs aside, the costs of a Zuma presidency are already raising eyebrows in opposition circles. Freedom Front Plus Western Cape leader Corné Mulder, who has researched some of the Zuma cost implications, said one factor that is often forgotten is the cost of the Kgalema Motlanthe presidency. “It is because of Zuma’s trials and tribulations that we had to bring in Motlanthe as president. Even though he was appointed as an interim, substitute president for just six or seven months, Motlanthe will be entitled to a president’s salary for the rest of his life,’’ Mulder said in an interview with The Witness last week. “As president himself, Zuma would earn a salary of more than R2 million a year by the time he takes the position — and will receive the same amount as pension for the rest of his life.” While the costs of his dependents are hard to calculate, there is much speculation that these could amount to millions, on top of Zuma’s salary. “Remember in the Schabir Shaik trial, it emerged that Shaik gave Zuma an interest-free loan of more than R1 million so that he could meet his obligations to his extended family. Shaik also assisted him with the education of his children. There are huge costs involved in maintaining such a large extended family,” said Mulder. Zuma, who is divorced from Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and whose second wife, Kate Mantsho, committed suicide, currently has two wives. They are Sizakele Khumalo from Nkandla in northern KwaZulu-Natal and former nurse, Nompumelelo Ntuli. He plans to take his third wife, Thobeka Mabhika, soon. He declines to answer questions about his wives, but there is talk of another wife waiting in the wings. He is similarly reticent about the number of children he has, but it is speculated to be between 12 and 18. In terms of Parliament’s Handbook for Members of the Executive, Zuma would, in addition to his basic salary, receive a housing allowance of 10% of his salary to contribute to a private home. On top of his official vehicles, he would also get a car allowance, equal to 25% of his annual salary, for the purchase of a private car. The state will contribute an amount equal to 17% of his salary to a pension fund and will pay two thirds of his medical aid contribution covering his family. He will also be insured by the state for accident and life cover. When he travels on official business, he may be accompanied by his spouses — (the handbook makes allowance for spouses in a polygamous marriage) and those dependent children who cannot remain at home are entitled to accommodation and subsistence at the expense of the state. The same arrangement applies to travel abroad. In addition to their travel on business, members and their spouses are jointly entitled to 30 domestic business-class air tickets each year at the expense of the state. Dependent children are each entitled to six domestic economy-class tickets each year. In terms of state obligations to the president, Zuma will also be entitled to travel on the state’s fleet of VIP aircraft, as well as receive VIP protection. “It’s difficult to estimate what these costs will amount to,” Mulder said. “All he needs to do is list the individuals as dependents.” Mulder continued: “In terms of security, this must be provided for the president’s household and children. The problem in the case of Zuma is that his households and children are stretched over three provinces. There will, therefore, be security costs in Cape Town, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. There is no ceiling limit with regard to the amount involved and to the number of dependents who can benefit.’’ In terms of state transport, Mulder said Zuma is entitled to make use of this already because he is a former deputy president. As president, he and all his wives will be able to use state transport. There is no limit to the amount involved. Whatever transport needs they have must be met.’’ Democratic Alliance MP Gareth Morgan, who has done research on transport costs, found that when he was deputy president, Zuma “showed a tendency” to use the presidential aircraft “far more than anyone else”. “It’s hard to talk about absolute numbers,’’ Morgan told The Witness. “But I have followed the use of the four VIP squadron jets for five years. The one thing that stuck out about Jacob Zuma was the number of flights he took between Pretoria and Durban. He has a home in KwaZulu-Natal. Many of these flights were on successive days. There is no justification for that level of flying if a person plans properly. According to Morgan, presidents and deputy presidents are currently bound by provisions in the “mythical” presidential handbook. “I call it mythical because nobody has seen it. It was one of the outcomes of the investigation after then deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka’s trip to Dubai on a private holiday. The public protector recommended that guidelines on presidential trips should be finalised. As far as I know this never happened. “I see no reason why Zuma’s particularly large family would be precluded from travelling on the state’s jets. We can disagree with the amount of flying, but according to the public protector, the travel arrangements of the president and deputy president — including for holidays — are controlled by the VIP unit which means they will always fly on VIP Air Force Squadron jets and only when a jet is unavailable will they go on a commercial flight. “He will get these flights at will, including all holidays. When Mlambo-Ngcuka went on her trip, the public protector said that even when the president or deputy president conducts a holiday, they are entitled to use the jets. When Mlambo-Ngcuka flew to Dubai, she took not only her husband, but also a friend’s child. She filled the plane with whom she wished.” “For instance, the Nkwazi jet can take a maximum of 12 people. With Mbeki, they tended to include a medical doctor, the minister in the presidency and his security detail. I wouldn’t go so far as to say we will have a situation where a whole lot of wives will be travelling on the airplane with him. But it is quite plausible that his wives will be able to fly and I see no reason in terms of customary law why any of Zuma’s wives can be prevented from doing so. In terms of protocol they would be able to travel with him if there is space.” As part of a list of 783 payments allegedly made by Shaik and his companies between 1995 and 2005, he allegedly made payments to a number of educational institutions for the Zuma children, including to Holy Family College, Sacred Heart School, University of Zululand, Empangeni High School, St Catherine’s, Cape Technikon and the International School of Cape Town. But the state will pay to get the Zuma offspring to school — members have one official vehicle for use in Cape Town and another for use in Pretoria, and official vehicles may be used for private purposes such as transporting school-going children to school. The government will also provide transport for his children to school provided they do not exceed 15 kilometres in one direction. Similarly, when the president is away from home on official business, any spouse or family member who stays at home will be entitled to transport by the state and can be taken wherever they need to go. On the subject of taxation, the handbook states: “Members are responsible for acquainting themselves with their own tax obligations”. As a private citizen, Zuma failed to render his own income tax return for eight years from 1995 to 2003, when Shaik submitted and signed them on his behalf. He did not disclose any of the payments he had received from Shaik and others in those late tax returns. South African taxpayers can only hope that while they foot the bill for his and his family’s expenses, he will, as president of the republic, at least pay his own taxes. Source Click <a href="http://www.witness.co.za/index.php?showcontent&&global[_id]=19166">here</a> [The Witness 2 February 2009]

All the president's expenses

Jacob Zuma looks set to become the most costly president in South African history... Picture the scene: Jacob Zuma, newly installed presiden...

8:54 AM

Zuma: the polygamist medical aids would avoid

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQZVV-RWzdwxA_GgBF1CtyiuUSUWqpHf5NFSOI-2zApGkS1-Fdw0v0_52K7ck23gvNYYL-NtETrLHyq6CZxmw9V06nPF5DHbfgbIZVLpxjv5S7MAf8I5a7PV1WQdRt-V2NtfHOk8uANA/s1600-h/african-polygamy.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292374692628403266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQZVV-RWzdwxA_GgBF1CtyiuUSUWqpHf5NFSOI-2zApGkS1-Fdw0v0_52K7ck23gvNYYL-NtETrLHyq6CZxmw9V06nPF5DHbfgbIZVLpxjv5S7MAf8I5a7PV1WQdRt-V2NtfHOk8uANA/s400/african-polygamy.bmp" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 382px" /></a>Much has been said and written about Jacob Zuma's wives and his impending nuptials. Independent Newspapers learnt this week that although the Presidency was ready to accommodate Zuma and his large family, the ANC president was the sort of candidate medical schemes try to avoid. With four wives - and two more to come - and a total of 18 children, medical aid schemes lose out when they insure a polygamist. South Africans are only allowed one civil union, but are allowed to have more than one customary marriage. If they have more than one legal husband or wife, they face prosecution. In 2000, The Recognition of Customary Marriages Act, 120 of 1998, came into force giving full legal recognition to customary marriages for the first time in South Africa. But choosing more than one wife, in accordance with this law, has conditions. Prospective spouses must both be above 18 years, must both consent to be married to each other under customary law and the marriage must be negotiated and entered into or celebrated in accordance with customary law. In Zuma's case, with regards to his future marriages, he would also get written consent from all his other wives and then get approval from a court which will regulate the future matrimonial property system of his marriages. According to legislation, medical schemes are not allowed to charge members for more than three children, although they must still cover the medical expenses of the remaining children. Based on published medical aid tariffs, Zuma would pay about R10 000 for himself, his four wives and three children. The rest will be free. It is now clear that Zuma will be South Africa's next President, but it is unclear how the Presidency will look after his huge first family. Traditionally, the President and his family take up residence in official homes, receive round-the-clock security among many other perks. But with possibly 24 family members this could be a logistical nightmare. However government spokesperson Thabo Masebe said the incoming President would decide who in his family would live in official residences and government would "look after everyone in the President's family". "We can't dictate to the President how he should organise his life. But we do have systems in place to accommodate his family - no matter how many people it consists of," Masebe said. It has been revealed that Zuma planned to marry a fifth and sixth wife soon, prompting commentators to say contrary to the ANC's contentions, reporting on Zuma's nuptials is of public interest. They however disagree on where public interest ends and Zuma's privacy begins. <ul><li>Zuma met Sizakele Khumalo in 1959. She lives at his rural R1,5-million home at Nkandla. They have no children; </li><li>Ex-wife Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has four children with Zuma. They divorced in June 1998 due to "irreconcilable differences"; </li><li>The late Kate Zuma had five children with Zuma. She committed suicide on December 8, 2000 after strained relations with Zuma; </li><li>Zuma has two children with Nompumelelo MaNtuli Zuma - whom he married in January last year; </li><li>Thobeka Stacey Mabhija has two children with Zuma. </li><li>Mrs Jacob Zuma number six? - Bongi Ngema - from Umlazi, has a seven-month-old son. The wedding is planned for some time this year; </li><li>Minah Shongwe - who is Zuma's old flame, is the sister of Judge Jeremiah Shongwe; and </li><li>Zuma also paid half lobola for Swazi Princess Sebentile Dlamini, 38, the granddaughter of King Sobhuza III, in 2002, but nothing has come of it.</li></ul>

Zuma: the polygamist medical aids would avoid

Much has been said and written about Jacob Zuma's wives and his impending nuptials. Independent Newspapers learnt this week that althoug...

1:06 PM

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