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After Tiger Woods and John Terry... it's President Zuma! He's fathered his 20th child by the daughter of a World Cup organiser
AT last news to knock John Terry off the blog. Another astonishing pre-World Cup tale, another sorry sporting sex saga. After Tiger Woods and Vanessa Perroncel... it's South Africa's president Jacob Zuma joining the top scorers' list.
Turns out Zuma, 67, has fathered his 20th child with the daughter of World Cup chief and important local football official Irvin Khoza. There was a huge furore when Zuma married again a couple of months ago, taking his current tally to three wives (see picture, he's second from the right).
Now he may have to resort to publicist Max Clifford to get him out of another huge controversy, just as Perroncel has after her affair with Terry - her partner Wayne Bridge's former Chelsea team-mate - was revealed last Saturday.
Zuma said yesterday that having the child, born in October to the 39-year-old daughter of his long-time friend Khoza, was a private matter. He said: "The media is making money out of the matter, questioning the right of the child to exist. The matter is now between the two of us, and culturally, between the Zuma and Khoza families."
But Nokuzola Mndende, director of the Icamagu Institute which promotes African culture, said: "Polygamous marriage is like any other marriage, it doesn't allow extra marital affairs. If a man wants to take another wife he has to follow certain procedures.
"An extra-marital affair is beyond race, religion or culture. It's a weakness of men."
A survey last month by the TNS market research firm questioned 2,000 people in South African cities and found that 74 per cent feel that it is a problem for a man to have more than one wife at a time. Opposition parties have accused Zuma of compromising South Africa's Aids prevention efforts, which promote condom use and faithfulness to a single sexual partner.
Since Zuma took office in May, he has made repeated public statements about the need to fight the disease. But four years ago he admitted to having extra-marital sex without a condom, saying that he had showered to prevent infection.
On Wednesday he argued that it was "mischievous" to accuse him of undermining the Aids campaign, vowing again to "intensify our efforts to promote prevention, treatment, research and the fight against the stigma attached to the epidemic".
Quite where John Terry stands on all this - given that he helped Ms Perroncel abort their love child - is unknown. He's staying quiet as the Clifford/Perroncel duo finalise a £250,000 deal to reveal further details of their affair on Sunday morning, probably in the News of the World.
At that point, The Sun suggests, a fifth name could be added to the underwear model's list of Chelsea conquests which currently includes Bridge, Terry, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Adrian Mutu.
But this morning's Mirror accuses Terry of having a second affair with a team-mate's wife.
England boss Fabio Capello, a devout Catholic, flew back to London from his Swiss home this morning and refused to comment on the furore but his assistant and Under21 boss Stuart Pearce has gone public with his view that Terry should remain the nation's captain going into the World Cup.
The suggestion is his private life shouldn't enter in to it. Terry is our best captain. At least South Africa's elected leader will understand how he feels.
Labels: england world cup bid, John Terry affair, polygamy, President jacob zuma
posted by Neal Collins at 13:11 
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