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South African President Jacob Zuma has been accused of contradicting the government's fight against HIV/Aids by fathering his 20th child out of wedlock.
The country's main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), said that the 67-year-old president had an affair with the daughter of a friend who is one of the principal organizers of this year's soccer World Cup.
The woman known as Sonono Khoza, daughter of Irvin Khoza, chairman of the World Cup Organizing Committee, reportedly gave birth to Zuma's daughter in October.
South Africa's polygamous president Zuma, who already has 19 children, recently tied the knot with his fifth wife and drew condemnation from his countrymen.
There has been no comment from Zuma, or his party, the ANC. However, the event has outraged South Africa, prompting fierce criticism from DA leader, Helen Zille.
"President Jacob Zuma's behavior directly contradicts the government's campaign against multiple sexual partners, and the inherent Aids risk in having unprotected sex," Zille stressed.
Raising her voice against the president's supporters who believe the issue to be a private matter, she argued that Zuma's personal behavior has "profound public consequences."
Moreover, this is not the first time that the chief executive's flamboyant private life has directly contradicted the government's HIV/Aids policy.
In 2006, while being acquitted of rape, Zuma admitted that he had made a mistake by having unprotected sex.
According to official statistics, an estimated 5.2 million people are currently living with HIV and AIDS in South Africa, which is more than in any other country.
HIV in South Africa is transmitted predominantly heterosexually between couples, with mother-to-child transmission being the other main infection route.
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