Former president Jacob Zuma’s legal woes are set to intensify after one of his wives, Thobeka Madiba-Zuma, filed for divorce.
Sunday World has learnt from highly placed sources close to Madiba-Zuma that she has filed papers in the Pietermaritzburg High Court to end her customary marriage to Msholozi.
The pair, who wed in a traditional ceremony in Nkandla in 2010, separated last year. This after she was barred from entering the compound after being accused of taking Zuma’s sim cards without his permission when he was in Cuba for medical treatment.
Sources who are close to Madiba-Zuma told Sunday World that her legal team had filed papers in court after realising that Zuma, who is facing a mountain of legal battles including corruption charges, had lost interest in her and that chances of saving their faltering union were as slim as the proverbial eye of a needle.
The moles said Madiba-Zuma was advised not to file for divorce as she might forfeit the first-lady benefits, which include security and personnel allocated to her. But she believed that she was self-sufficient and could survive without those benefits.
The deep throats said Madiba-Zuma was contemplating withdrawing the divorce proceedings not because of the benefits, but because she was convinced by those who care about her that there was still hope to resolve her differences with Zuma. When approached for comment, Madiba- Zuma declined to comment.
“Our family matters are private and personal, [I] would appreciate if they are regarded and treated as such,” she said via SMS on Friday.
Madiba-Zuma hogged media headlines last month when she took Zuma to Durban magistrate’s court where she was demanding R14 000 papgeld a month for their 14-year-old child.
The matter was reportedly postponed to give both parties a chance to possibly reach an out-of-court settlement. Zuma’s lawyer Eric Mabuza said he was unable to comment because he was not aware of the matter.
