Making sense of Zuma's statement
8 February 2010, 10:57
By Xolani Mbanjwa
Statement
1 I have noted recent media reports about aspects of my personal life. I have noted too that these reports have been the subject of much discussion in the public arena by various organisations and people from all walks of life.
2 I have therefore decided, after some careful deliberation, to make public comment on a matter that is otherwise intensely personal. I had been out of the country when this matter arose.
3 I confirm that I have a relationship and a baby with Ms Sonono Khoza.
4 I said during World Aids Day that we must all take personal responsibility for our actions. I have done so. I have done the necessary cultural imperatives in a situation of this nature, for example the formal acknowledgement of paternity and responsibility, including the payment of inhlawulo to the family.
5 The matter is now between the two of us, and culturally, between the Zuma and Khoza families.
6 It is unfortunate that the individuals concerned have been unfairly subjected to harsh media exposure merely because of the position that I occupy.
Our constitution and our laws require us to protect children from harmful public exposure.
The constitution states that it is inappropriate to place at risk the child's well-being, physical or mental health, spiritual, moral or social development.
7 The naming of the child's parents has essentially exposed her to the public, which has serious implications in the long term for her, and amounts to the exploitation referred to in the Act, because the media is making money out of the matter.
8 The media is also in essence questioning the right of the child to exist and fundamentally, her right to life.
9 Much has been made of the government's policy on HIV and Aids and this relationship. It is mischievous to argue that I have changed or undermined government's stance on the HIV and Aids campaign.
10 I will not compromise on the campaign. Rather we will intensify our efforts to promote prevention, treatment, research and the fight against the stigma attached to the epidemic.
11 We will also continue with our campaign to ensure that every South African knows their HIV status, and that all those who need it have access to appropriate treatment. We respect and uphold the freedom of the media. It is one of the freedoms we fought for, and which we will always defend.
12 However, the President of the Republic, the mother and the baby are also entitled to the rights afforded to all South Africans in the constitution. These rights cannot be waived just because of a position one occupies.
13 I would request that the dignity and privacy of the affected individuals in this matter be respected.
Decoder
1 I do not understand why the media and society are interested in my personal life.
2 I am not one to shy away from what I see as an affront to my being. I bowed to public pressure - but this is after consultation with advisers.
3 You caught me out - but why should you care?
4 This baby is not a mistake. The condom was not out of reach - we decided, as adults, to procreate. And this was not a secret. The families are on board.
5 It is none of your business. I am Irvin Khoza's son-in-law.
6 I am the target of this venom - not my family. Is this reporting and commentary even constitutional? Anyway, what I consider immoral is the exposure of my conduct.
7 The media is a money-making ruthless monster that does not care about my child. I would have preferred my child to remain a secret.
8 I am just clutching at straws - but don't call me alarmist. How else must I understand this intense focus on me and the child? Is it not true that if the child did not exist, I would not be persecuted like this?
9 Haven't you learned to do as I say and not as I do? You said Thabo Mbeki did not say the right things - I did on World Aids Day. What I do when the lights are off is none of your business.
10 I will continue to tell you the right things.
11 The fact that I fought for freedom makes me an automatic friend of the media - regardless of what I say or do.
12 I still don't get it. Why should my prominence mean less privacy? Anybody?
13 Just leave me the hell alone. I have a right to be who and what I choose.
Statement
1 I have noted recent media reports about aspects of my personal life. I have noted too that these reports have been the subject of much discussion in the public arena by various organisations and people from all walks of life.
2 I have therefore decided, after some careful deliberation, to make public comment on a matter that is otherwise intensely personal. I had been out of the country when this matter arose.
3 I confirm that I have a relationship and a baby with Ms Sonono Khoza.
4 I said during World Aids Day that we must all take personal responsibility for our actions. I have done so. I have done the necessary cultural imperatives in a situation of this nature, for example the formal acknowledgement of paternity and responsibility, including the payment of inhlawulo to the family.
5 The matter is now between the two of us, and culturally, between the Zuma and Khoza families.
6 It is unfortunate that the individuals concerned have been unfairly subjected to harsh media exposure merely because of the position that I occupy.
Our constitution and our laws require us to protect children from harmful public exposure.
The constitution states that it is inappropriate to place at risk the child's well-being, physical or mental health, spiritual, moral or social development.
7 The naming of the child's parents has essentially exposed her to the public, which has serious implications in the long term for her, and amounts to the exploitation referred to in the Act, because the media is making money out of the matter.
8 The media is also in essence questioning the right of the child to exist and fundamentally, her right to life.
9 Much has been made of the government's policy on HIV and Aids and this relationship. It is mischievous to argue that I have changed or undermined government's stance on the HIV and Aids campaign.
10 I will not compromise on the campaign. Rather we will intensify our efforts to promote prevention, treatment, research and the fight against the stigma attached to the epidemic.
11 We will also continue with our campaign to ensure that every South African knows their HIV status, and that all those who need it have access to appropriate treatment. We respect and uphold the freedom of the media. It is one of the freedoms we fought for, and which we will always defend.
12 However, the President of the Republic, the mother and the baby are also entitled to the rights afforded to all South Africans in the constitution. These rights cannot be waived just because of a position one occupies.
13 I would request that the dignity and privacy of the affected individuals in this matter be respected.
Decoder
1 I do not understand why the media and society are interested in my personal life.
2 I am not one to shy away from what I see as an affront to my being. I bowed to public pressure - but this is after consultation with advisers.
3 You caught me out - but why should you care?
4 This baby is not a mistake. The condom was not out of reach - we decided, as adults, to procreate. And this was not a secret. The families are on board.
5 It is none of your business. I am Irvin Khoza's son-in-law.
6 I am the target of this venom - not my family. Is this reporting and commentary even constitutional? Anyway, what I consider immoral is the exposure of my conduct.
7 The media is a money-making ruthless monster that does not care about my child. I would have preferred my child to remain a secret.
8 I am just clutching at straws - but don't call me alarmist. How else must I understand this intense focus on me and the child? Is it not true that if the child did not exist, I would not be persecuted like this?
9 Haven't you learned to do as I say and not as I do? You said Thabo Mbeki did not say the right things - I did on World Aids Day. What I do when the lights are off is none of your business.
10 I will continue to tell you the right things.
11 The fact that I fought for freedom makes me an automatic friend of the media - regardless of what I say or do.
12 I still don't get it. Why should my prominence mean less privacy? Anybody?
13 Just leave me the hell alone. I have a right to be who and what I choose.
- This article was originally published on page 6 of The Sunday Independent on February 07, 2010
Pretoria
