The last few years have provided the headlines with a slew of scandals: from politicians’ sexual habits being exposed to people being publicly shamed for their racist utterances, which, for some, cost them their jobs.
For some, the sex scandals turned out to be untrue, some neither denied nor admitted the truth while some straight up admitted to getting dirty with women other than their wives.
Here are the biggest politicians’ sex scandals that often left most of us stunned, or just scratching our heads
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| Cyril Ramaphosa |
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2. Jeff Radebe – Minister in the Presidency |
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| 3. Mbuyiseni Ndlozi – EFF national spokesperson |
At the start of 2015, the media was first given the “lead” that EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi had possibly raped a woman (and even had her killed) during the party’s first elective conference in Bloemfontein.
At the time, the story seemed intriguing because Ndlozi had been replaced by an acting spokesperson in the form of Fana Mokoena. When the media requested comment on the allegations, we were told by the EFF in a statement that Ndlozi was not actively involved in his party role while doing work on his PhD thesis.
“Commissar Mbuyiseni Ndlozi is on study leave, working on his PhD thesis, and will come back as head of communications and spokesperson on the 1st of February 2015,” the opposition party said at the time.
He duly did return to his post.
4. Zwelinzima Vavi – Former Cosatu secretary-general
FILE PICTURE: Expelled Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi. Picture: Refilwe Modise
In 2013, Vavi’s sex life came into the spotlight after then 26-year-old Jacqueline Phooko accused the then Cosatu general secretary of raping her.
Vavi denied raping the woman, but admitted to having had a relationship with her, which later led to consensual sex.
According to Vavi, the two started feeling differently about each in October/November 2012. A “spontaneous” relationship, which consisted only of kissing and hugging then developed between the two.
In a statement, he denied going to the woman’s office, grabbing and kissing her and forcefully fondling her private parts and raping her, as she had claimed.
He said he did go to her office, where he kissed her, which eventually led to them “making love”.
“I did lock her office door but only to ensure that no one else could come in. Brief intercourse took place whilst we were standing. At no stage did she ask me to stop,” he said.
Later that day he said he received a “shocking” text message from her saying “that was not consensual…”
The National Union of Metalworkers also released a statement in support of Vavi, and said the rape allegation could not be delinked from “the poisonous, malicious and well-calculated political offensive directed towards destroying comrade Vavi’s political integrity and standing in society”.
The union further accused other Cosatu leaders of coercing the woman to falsify the rape claim.
She later sought about R4 million in damages.
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| 5. Jacob Zuma – President of South Africa |
President Jacob Zuma, who is always in the headlines – not just because he’s the president, but because he seems to like women – made headlines in 2005 after accusations that he had raped the now late Fezekile Ntsukela Kuzwayo, known to the public as Khwezi.
Zuma was charged with rape and, on the 8th of May the following year the Johannesburg High Court acquitted him.
This is the case that earned Zuma his nickname “shower head” after he said he had taken a shower after having “sex” with Kuzwayo.
In one of the scandals that will probably continue to haunt him along with the Nkandla and Gupta sagas, four women staged a silent protest holding placards urging us to “RememberKhwezi” during Zuma’s address at the IEC election results centre on August 3. While many commended the act, some organisations such as the ANC Women’s League condemned it, calling it inappropriate.
#RememberKhwezi protesters. Picture: Twitter.
The rape case again came back to haunt the president after Khwezi’s death in August.
The president again made headlines in 2011 after reports that he had impregnated his friend and Orlando Pirates boss Irvin Khoza’s daughter.
In a statement, he confirmed the relationship with Sonono Khoza. He said he had taken responsibility for his actions by doing “the necessary cultural imperatives in a situation of this nature, for example the formal acknowledgment of paternity and responsibility, including the payment of inhlawulo to the family”.
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| 6. Mmusi Maimane – DA leader |
The email, according to its writer, was a warning to delegates to not put the wrong people in leadership.
Maimane, James Wilmot and Athol Trollip rejected allegations of a culture of crude sexual harassment within the party, reported Drum.
His wife, Natalie, was having none of it as she also publicly supported her husband and said the mud would “simply wash off”.
“16 years of friendship, 10 years of marriage. I know the character of @MmusiMaimane He’s the real deal. The mud will simply wash off,” she tweeted at the time.
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| 7. Malusi Gigaba – Home affairs minister |
This has to be one of the most public scandals in the political sphere, as both Gigaba’s women publicly fought on social media, calling each other names we would rather not mention.
Following the scandal in 2015, Gigaba’s then girlfriend, stylist Buhle Mkhize, wrote an open letter detailing the affair she allegedly had with the home affairs minister, who seemed to have been struggling to handle his affairs at home.According to the letter, their affair started in July 2014 after their meeting on Instagram and they “realised they shared the same sense of humour”.
Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba and wife Nomachule Mngoma at their wedding on August 30, 2014. (Picture: Gallo Images)
By the end of July, Gigaba allegedly started sending Mkhize private message that were innocent at first but graduated to flirting.
The exchange of private messages on Instagram quickly escalated to calls and text messages. Gigaba then arranged for Mkhize to visit him in Cape Town, where they spent four days together.
He again gave her cash gifts, one of which was R288 000, revealed an open letter published in Just Curious.
The two women started attacking each other, but eventually apologised to one another. Now it seems the affairs at Gigaba’s home are back to normal (whatever that is) as the two have been posting pictures of each other on Instagram and taking vacations together.
Earlier this month, Gigaba found himself in a dilemma after Mkhize took to Twitter to respond to his wife, Norma Gigaba’s recent interview with eNCA.
In the interview, Norma opened up about an affair her husband had with New York-based stylist Mkhize about two years ago, saying it had been a difficult time for her family.
Though she was hurt by the affair, Norma said she worried more about her parents.
“I was feeling so bad for my mother and his mother. When they were going to church, people were reading Drum magazine, they were reading papers, and now we have to explain.”
Norma received criticism for the interview, but it seems she invited Mkhize right back in her life, exactly where she had not wanted her to begin with.
‘Mkhize’, who is now married, opened a Twitter account responding to Norma’s interview. She said she was not going to sit by and watch Norma “lie” to the public. In fact, Mrs Gigaba should have refused to speak about the affair, as everyone had moved on from it, said ‘Mkhize’.
“Could you have not declined answering that question @normzmngoma? I get interview requests on it all the time but I decline,” she wrote.
Tweeting the minister directly, the woman calling herself Mkhize further warned Gigaba to keep his wife on a leash or she would reveal more details about their affair.
“Stop her from ever bringing this up again or they’ll hear about December 18, you know me and documenting, I don’t slip @mgigaba.
“Let’s not forget the private jet Joburg to Durban @mgigaba. Shocker !!!. You’ve never met the Guptas angithi?”
‘Mkhize’ said Norma should have just kept quiet and live her life quietly, but now secrets that have long been kept would come out, she threatened.
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| 8. Fikile Mbalula – Sports minister |
Reports claimed Mbalula had unprotected sex with the model on at least two occasions in August 2011. The model even claimed she was carrying the minister’s child.
In his response, Mbalula denied that he had sex with the woman, and also called her an “extortionist”.
City Press reported that it was in possession of a series of text messages sent between Mbalula and the model that confirmed the minister had cheated on his wife.
Deputy Minister Mzwandile Mesina and Minister Fikile Mbalula and wives arrive in Parliament ahead of the state of the nation address by President Zuma in Cape Town, 11 February 2016. Picture: Ntswe Mokoena/GCIS
The messages also contained details of the alleged bitter fight between Mbalula and his lover over whether to abort the unborn baby.
According to the report, Mbalula and the woman met on August 26 at the Houghton Golf Club at a golf day. They reportedly had their first sexual encounter in her bedroom without using a condom that same night.
It seemed Mbalula had not had enough, so he reportedly called the model again the following day and met her at an upmarket apartment in Sandton, where they had their second sexual encounter.
His wife apparently forgave him, and now he attends events with her and even flaunts his beautiful wife on social media.
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| 9. Archibald Figlan |
Figlan was also ordered to make a donation of R12 000 to crime rehabilitation institute Nicro and do two hours of community service every month for a year.
In the midst of the mixed reactions to his sentence, DA leader Mmusi Maimane said he believed the punishment was sufficient, EWN reported.
10. Kebby Maphatsoe – Former MK vets cook
A nude picture of a man who appears to be the deputy minister of defence and military veterans, Kebby Maphatsoe, emerged on Twitter last week.
It could very well also be photoshopped, and there seems to have been a number of such images of late.
It was not clear who took the picture, if it is real, which appears to have been taken in a hotel or indoors.
In the picture, thighs, which appear to be those of a woman, can be seen, but her face doesn’t feature in the picture. Also in the picture is a man who bears an uncanny resemblance to the former Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) cook.
The man in the picture doesn’t have a right arm, like Maphatsoe, who lost his after he was shot by soldiers of the Ugandan army during the dark days of the apartheid era.
Maphatsoe has neither confirmed nor denied that the man in the picture is him, though he said his family was traumatised and would be sent for counselling.
11. Blade Nzimande
Again, in early August, Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande made headlines for a picture of a naked man, whose author claimed was the minister. The man in the picture can be seen washing himself from a bucket and is photographed by a young woman on a bed who may also be unclothed.
A clickbait website broke the story that the image was shared on the Facebook profile of a young student reportedly named “Dimpho Kelly”, whom they described as Nzimande’s “blessee” at Wits university.The photo that had everyone talking last month.
They claimed that she shared the story with a caption about how she was disgusted at the minister’s attitude towards the #FeesMustFall movement, and she decided to take the picture out of revenge.
Nzimande later released a statement about the nude picture. He said that the man in the picture was clearly not him and that it was shared on social media as part of a smear campaign, further calling the act of being in a relationship with a young girl as an “immoral act in our society and must be rejected by all”.
“There is a compromising photo claimed to be mine on social media. That is not me but is part of an attempted smear campaign during this time of upheaval in some of our institutions.”
Read more: Nude picture part of fees ‘smear campaign’ – Blade Nzimande
