No comment after report of Zuma's 'child'

Presidential spokespersons were not available on Saturday night to comment on the Sunday Times report about President Jacob Zuma allegedly fathering a child with Irvin Khoza’s daughter.

The newspaper quoted unidentified sources on the story with the Orlando Pirates boss’s daughter, Sonono Khoza (39) flatly denying the allegations.

“I don’t know what you are talking about. I definitely do not know what you are talking about,” she reportedly told the paper before terminating the call.

When her mother, Matina was asked how she felt about her new grandchild and that Zuma was the father, she said: “No, we are not excited.” She later said that she could not talk about the matter.

Sonono gave birth to baby Thandekile Matina Zuma on October 8 2009, just three months before Zuma married his fifth wife.

According to a family friend, a two-member delegation from KwaZulu-Natal, acting on Zuma’s behalf, visited the Khoza family in December last year to discuss payments [inhlawulo] that are due when a child is born out of wedlock.

On the morning of January 17, Zuma’s motorcade was seen arriving at the Khoza’s family home in Diepkloof Extension, Soweto.

Zuma—who was in Johannesburg to attend the ANC’s national executive committee lekgotla—spent almost an hour with Sonono and her mother, Matina.

The “Iron Duke”, as Khoza is known, was not home when the meetings took place. He is said to have told family friends that he felt betrayed by Zuma’s relationship with Sonono, as he had considered him “a friend”.

Sonono is a divorcee with two children from her previous marriage. She is an events manager in the marketing division at Absa Bank’s head office in Johannesburg. - Sapa