Pietermaritzburg - Edward Zuma, eldest son of President Jacob Zuma, owned up to his parental responsibilities this week and went to court to sign an order committing him to pay maintenance for his teenage son.
Zuma also said he hoped other fathers who find themselves in a similar situation would do the same.
Zuma went to the Pietermaritzburg Maintenance Court and consented to an order to pay R5 000 for his son every month.
A warrant of arrest had been issued against Zuma on June 23 after he had failed to respond to several subpoenas ordering him to appear in court for child maintenance.
Apparent bungling by the police had led to the warrant not being served and getting lost.
“I’m not going to try and shine about this, but I was just doing the right thing. I am also not making a call for fathers to go and settle their child maintenance bill, that is for government and government officials to enforce. I am also aware that grandpa (President Zuma) made a similar call. However, all I am saying is that it would be good if they saw what I did and do the same,” he said on Friday evening.
Last week Zuma denied he was not paying maintenance and insisted he was a good father who took care of his children.
Independent Media understands that a third duplicate warrant had been processed and was due to be executed on Thursday, but 39-year-old Zuma beat the police to it.
“I went there to do what was right and to sort things for the benefit of my child. All the parties are happy now and the issue should be rested,” he said.
The child’s mother (a 40-year-old woman who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child) went to court to apply for maintenance in January last year. She is no longer in a relationship with Zuma.
The court first subpoenaed Zuma in February last year.
However, neither he nor his lawyer came to court.
One subpoena, which is part of the court record and dated March 6, 2014, said that a “directive by the Maintenance Officer” was served on Zuma’s Durban North home and was received by his domestic worker.
In papers by the Sheriff it was recorded that Zuma was “temporarily absent” but the nature of his absence was adequately explained.
Zuma was asked to appear on March 7 but he failed to do so. A subpoena was issued for him to appear on March 18, April 10, April 29, April 30, May 22 and June 23. After he failed to appear on any of those dates the court issued a warrant for his arrest.
The warrant was sent to the Durban Maintenance Court where it was forwarded to the Durban North police for delivery to Zuma. But it appears nobody served it on Zuma.
On November 10 an officer named Robert Parks from the Pietermaritzburg Maintenance Court wrote an affidavit applying for a duplicate warrant as the police had lost the original.
“On 23/6/14 warrant ME95/14 was issued and served to the SA Police Service Durban North. The aforementioned warrant has been misplaced. I request that a duplicate warrant be authorised,” read a brief affidavit.
Sunday Tribune