‘What about your dad?’ – Zuma’s daughter dragged for calling out Godongwana, leaders who abuse women

Former president Jacob Zuma’s daughter and ANC Youth League National Fund Raiser, Thuthukile Zuma has been lambasted for her comments about men in powerful political positions, considering her own father was accused of raping Fezekile Kuzwayo, also known as Kwezi.

Thuthukile made the comments on Wednesday, following allegations of sexual assault against Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana.

Godongwana has come under fire after an employee of Kruger Shalati at Skukuza in the Kruger National Park, who was offering massage services to guests, opened a case against Godongwana after he allegedly made sexual advances towards her. 

The 65-year-old minister has denied the allegations but has not spoken any further on the matter. 

Zuma, however, thought it wise to wade into the political debate, by calling for the finance minister to step down immediately.

In a video which was widely circulated on social media on Wednesday, Thuthukile tells a small crowd of people in Gqeberha, where she was attending a court sitting in support of an assault victim, Zintle Msindwana that the ANC has its own perpetrators of gender-based violence, one of whom is Godongwana.

“We ourselves have leaders who have been accused of being perpetrators and we are saying to these leaders that we might love you but as soon as you have an accusation of being a perpetrator of gender-based violence you must do the honourable thing; you must step aside. Not the factional step-aside of the ANC, but you must step aside because you take the gender struggle seriously.

“So, the likes of your Enoch Godongwana must step aside because he must show that as a leader of society and a leader of the ANC, he takes the gender struggle seriously. He must step aside and allow the courts to take their course without embroiling the name of the ANC and GBV in one sentence.”

South Africans naturally pointed out the irony, considering that her father had campaigned and later became president of the party and country, while a cloud of rape allegations hung over his head.

Thuthukile has been seen as hypocritical because she was largely silent when her father was accused of rape.

In 2005, Khwezi laid charges against Zuma, accusing him of rape.

Zuma denied the claims, saying he had consensual sex with the HIV-positive woman at his home in Johannesburg.

The former president also defended his decision to shower after having sex with his HIV-positive rape accuser, saying he had done so “because I knew the type of person I was sleeping with”.

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In May 2006 Zuma was cleared of rape, with the judge ruling that the encounter was consensual.

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