Jacob Zuma prepares for tea at Buckingham Palace

By Jane Flanagan in Cape Town Published: 8:20PM GMT twenty-seven February 2010

South African President Jacob Zuma takes piece in a dance during his normal marriage Photo: REUTERS

But for the decorated President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, this week"s central revisit to Buckingham Palace has brought an surprising predicament: that of his 3 wives to take.

Anxious to misuse no injustice in between the women to whom he is right away married, Mr Zuma, 67, has, apparently, attempted to share the travelling perks as uniformly as possible.

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His newest wife, 38 year-old Thobeka, whom he tied together usually last month, is the usually one of the 3 who has not nonetheless had the wish of concomitant him abroad, so this week"s revisit to London will tumble to her.

But lest it see as well most similar to a honeymoon, the integrate will be assimilated by an environment of multiform hundred that includes advisers and bodyguards, some-more than 200 South African businessmen and twelve cupboard ministers.

In the year when South Africa hosts the football World Cup, Mr Zuma hopes the revisit will serve lift his country"s form and yield a fillip for traffic with the UK. It will additionally yield a close-up perspective of arrangements which, by British standards, would be surprising for any household.

The ultimate Mrs Zuma is a former bank clerk who has a one-year-old daughter with the president. She was reportedly concerned in an indecorous football practice with an additional of his wives after the state of the republic debate in the South African council last year, when the women jostled to be closest to the President for the print shoot.

To forestall serve squabbling over the pity of central duties and entrance to Mr Zuma"s time, a "spousal office" was set up to yield next to executive support.

His own bureau put out a matter dogmatic that it was the "president"s privilege to select that of his wives or all of them, should he so confirm will attend with him on central or open engagements."

New suits have been paid for and a good understanding of time has been outlayed guidance the trivia of custom approaching when a head of state meets the Queen and stays as her guest.

With food to be served on bullion plates at the state party hold in his honour on Wednesday night, Mr Zuma, a father of 20, is forgoing the leopard-skin loincloth and defense he favours for central functions at his farming home in Zululand. Instead he will follow the despotic skirt formula of" "white tie and decorations"".

An help who will attend with him for the three-day revisit told The Sunday Telegraph: "We have a prolonged list of dos and don"ts about practice and protocol, and the President is receiving them really seriously. As a unapproachable Zulu, Mr Zuma places huge significance on convention and wants to show apply oneself for the cultures of your good nation."

At the really least, dual nights at Buckingham Palace will suggest Mr Zuma a mangle from drawn out critique following the explanation late last year that he fathered a kid with Sonono Khoza, the 39-year-old daughter of a made at home ally.

While polygamy is at large supposed in South Africa, promiscuity is utterly an additional thing, generally as the nation has the top rate of HIV infection in the world.

But Mr Zuma is notoriously infrequent about the e.g. he sets. Four years ago, prior to he became president, he went on hearing for the rape of an HIV-positive woman. Mr Zuma, who did not wear a condom, told the justice the sex was consensual and that he had taken a showering to minimise his chances of constrictive the virus. He was clear of rape, but health campaigners were angry he is a former head of the National Aids Council.

Any goal that he would handle otherwise as head of state were dashed, not only by the explanation about an additional kid innate out of wedlock, but by his stubborn warding off to admit he had finished anything wrong. Advisers pronounced that Zulu enlightenment available a personality to have as most young kids as he longed for with any partners he wished.

But after heated made at home criticism, Mr Zuma expelled an countenance of regret.

Mr Zuma is penetrating to expatriate himself as Zulu kingship the leopard skin of that he is so lustful is indifferent for those with Zulu stately red blood but in actuality he has no such heritage.

He is a former cow-herd with no grave preparation over first school, whose energy and management come not from stately connectors but from his links to the African National Congress, the ransom transformation that degraded white minority order in the early 1990s.

And this duality is the equates to of his most open family problems. On the one palm he likes to benefaction himself as a good Zulu leader, but at the same time he seeks to benefaction himself as the populist politician, in hold with the labourer, the miner ans the traffic unionist.

This last picture is apropos increasingly tough to equates to as sum arise of the prosperous lifestyle he right away enjoys as president.

The ANC competence be rise of all made at home energy but in Africa, this additionally equates to it is the good cash-cow, the source of open zone grants, incomes and stipends.

Mr Zuma"s birthplace is reported to be undergoing a �5 million refurbishment, together with the designation of a helipad and new homes for his ultimate bride and an additional fiance, who is watchful in the wings. For security reasons a little of the check for this is being met by the government.

In 2005 Schabir Shaik, who described himself as Mr Zuma"s monetary adviser, was convicted of misusing supervision income and given a fifteen year prison sentence. He was expelled early on "medical grounds" last year. But notwithstanding allegations opposite him, Mr Zuma himself was never convicted of any offence.

At the really least, the extensive list of rows and made at home scandals that have stubborn South Africa"s boss given he entered open hold up should yield Prince Philip with no necessity of opportunities for mistake pas.