Durban - A warrant of arrest is out for Edward Zuma – the eldest son of President Jacob Zuma – for allegedly failing to maintain a love child.
But for the past seven months police have failed to arrest him.
The 39-year-old is alleged to have failed to respond to several subpoenas to appear in court for child maintenance.
During a Women’s Day celebration in August, the president appealed to fathers to support their children voluntarily, without the government or courts having to become involved.
“They have a responsibility to do so,” said Zuma.
The warrant of arrest for his son was issued on June 23 by the Pietermaritzburg Maintenance Court.
It had to be served by police in Durban North, where Edward has his home.
Attorneys acting for the child’s mother have made several attempts to get police to serve the warrant, without success.
At one stage the police said they had lost the warrant and a duplicate was made.
Even then it was not served.
The child’s mother, a 40-year-old who, to protect the identity of the child, may not be named, went to court to apply for maintenance in January last year.
She is no longer in a relationship with Edward.
The court first subpoenaed Edward in February, but neither he nor his lawyer came to court.
One subpoena, which is part of the court record and dated March 6, said that a “directive by the maintenance officer” had been served on Edward’s Durban North home and was received by his domestic worker.
In papers by the sheriff it was recorded that Edward was “temporarily absent”.
He was then asked to appear on March 7, but failed to pitch.
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 each of these 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.
But it would seem that nobody served it.
On November 10 an officer named Robert Parks from the Pietermaritzburg Maintenance Court wrote an affidavit applying for a duplicate warrant because the police had lost the original one.
Parks refused to comment, saying that he was not authorised to speak to the media.
He passed the queries on to a Mrs Goliath – apparently his superior.
She, too, declined to comment.
Provincial police spokesman Major Thulani Zwane said police would investigate, to establish whether the warrant was delivered to the station.
“I’ve spoken to the station commander, who has no knowledge of it for now. If it did come to us, we will investigate how it was misplaced. But first we will try and establish if it indeed reached us,” he said.
Contacted for comment, Edward expressed surprise and said he had no knowledge of the subpoenas and warrant of arrest.
“Yes, that’s my boy you are asking about… I support him like all my children. I live with him. Maybe the mother was angry about something when she applied for maintenance.”
The child’s mother said: “(Edward) has never done anything for the child, but he acknowledges him as his (child) and visits him. I asked him several times to assist me with school fees, but he failed to.
I feel unjustly treated when the authorities are failing to bring him to justice. It’s been a year since I first applied for child maintenance.” - The Sunday Independent