Jacob Zuma: South Africa's Polygamist President

What Happened

Jacob Zuma, who served as President of South Africa from 2009 to 2018, practiced traditional Zulu polygamy throughout his life, ultimately marrying six women and fathering at least 23 children. His marital history reads like a tragic epic: his first wife Sizakele Khumalo (married 1973) stood by him through decades of imprisonment and political struggle, while subsequent marriages reflected his rising power and complicated personal life.

His second wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (married 1982, divorced 1998) became a medical doctor and served in multiple cabinet positions, eventually becoming African Union Commission chairperson. Their divorce was relatively amicable by Zuma standards. His third wife Kate Mantsho (married 1976) committed suicide in 2000, leaving a devastating note describing their marriage as '24 years of hell.' Her death raised troubling questions about the human cost of polygamy.

Zuma's later marriages to Nompumelelo Ntuli (2008) and Tobeka Madiba (2010), and Gloria Bongi Ngema (2012) coincided with his presidency. The Nkandla scandal, in which $23 million in public funds were used to upgrade his private compound, ostensibly for security but including a swimming pool, amphitheater, and cattle kraal, became a symbol of presidential corruption. In 2015, Ntuli was accused of trying to poison Zuma and was banished from the Nkandla homestead.

As Zuma's political fortunes declined after his presidency, his legal bills mounted and several wives were reportedly expelled from his compound. The case raises profound questions about the intersection of traditional polygamy, modern constitutional law, and the financial burden of multiple simultaneous marriages and divorces in a contemporary legal framework.

Legal Breakdown: Polygamy and Modern Divorce Law

What This Means for Your Divorce