South Africans awoke to the news of another political scandal on Sunday. This time involving a sordid blackmail attempt and leaked sex tape footage.
Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba found himself the unwanted recipient of an extortion attempt, R5-million to be exact.
“My wife and I have learnt, with regret and sadness, that a video containing material of a sexual nature, meant for our eyes only, which was stolen when my communication got illegally intercepted/my phone hacked, in 2016/17, is circulating among certain political figures”, he tweeted.
The video in question shows Gigaba performing a sexual act on himself and has been widely shared on social media.
Sex scandals have been part of the global political landscape, sometimes used as smear campaigns to discredit those in power or the opposition. Here’s a look at other sex scandals that rocked the political world.
1. The Gigaba Files
Unfortunately, it’s not the first time Gigaba has found himself on the receiving end of scandal.
Buhle Mkhize made headlines in May 2017 for her famous "Gigaba Files". The former alleged mistress of then-Finance Minister Gigaba set Twitter ablaze when she threatened to release more info on their affair in retaliation for his wife Noma accusing her of tearing her family apart.
Picture: @buhlemkhize85/Twitter
The media first caught whiff of the affair rumours in 2015 when Mkhize and Noma fought it out on social media – Mkhize reportedly was blackmailing the family with demands for cash in exchange for her silence.
2. ‘I did not have sexual relations with that woman’
Monica Lewinsky became known as the woman who brought the White House to its knees.
When news of US President Bill Clinton’s affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky broke in 1998, the entire world held its collective breath.
Those famous words: “I did not have sexual relations with that woman” started off a snowball reaction, eventually leading to Clinton being impeached. But it was ultimately Lewinsky’s blue dress with DNA evidence on it that sealed his fate.
Picture: AP
During a rare interview with The Guardian newspaper, she revealed she is still working to reclaim her identity, saying “The shame sticks to you like tar.”
3. Silvio Berlusconi and his famous 'bunga bunga' parties
Scandal and corruption dominated former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi’s tenure while in office.
He was known for hosting wild sex parties, which the Italian media later termed “bunga bunga” parties, one of which culminated in him being convicted in 2013 for paying a 17-year-old girl for sex. The conviction was later overturned.
Berlusconi's parties featured showgirls performing striptease acts. One woman dressed up as former US president Barack Obama and a prominent prosecutor whom the media mogul had accused of persecuting him, one source told the Associated Press.
File picture: Max Rossi/Reuters