Jacob Zuma's wife loses £36,000 worth of jewellery on a flight
The fifth wife of South African president Jacob Zuma is said to be considering legal acton against one of the country's airlines after allegedly losing jewellery worth half a million rand (£36,000) onboard one of its flights.
South Africa's President Jacob Zuma
arrives with one of his wives, Thobeka Madiba Zuma, at Heathrow Airport
in London March 2, 2010. Zuma is on a state visit to Britain. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
Thobeka Madiba-Zuma, a former bank clerk
who became polygamous Mr Zuma's third current wife when she married him
in 2010, claims that 36 pieces of "exclusive" jewellery in a Clarins
cosmetic case were stolen from her bag while in transit in December last
year.
Among the items she listed as
lost, according to a claim form obtained by Beeld newspaper, were
£32,000-worth of diamonds including a diamond arm band, two diamond sets
of earrings, bracelets, chains and pendants, two diamond rings and a
diamond and gold ring in the shape of a snake.
An
accompanying cover letter sent to the airline on presidential headed
notepaper read: "Pls find Madam Zuma's claim for processing as a matter
of urgency". The jewellery was transported in an unlocked suitcase and
were not insured, according to Beeld, But the airline, SA Airlink,
reportedly rejected the suggestion that Mrs Madiba-Zuma's bag was
tampered with after an investigation that included studying CCTV footage
and polygraphing all its staff.
The
jewellery loss occured when Mrs Madiba-Zuma flew from Nelspruit to OR
Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg before driving on to
Bloemfontein to join her husband at the ANC's elective conference before
Christmas.
"I last saw my Clarins
cosmetic (bag) containing the stolen jewellery inside my burnt orange
Cellini Microlite suitcase @ the hotel when packing & getting ready
to leave for the airport (in Nelspruit)," she is quoted as saying by
Beeld in the claim form sent to the airline.
"We arrived at the airport & the luggage (was)
handled by my supports team." She went on to say that her luggage was
collected at OR Tambo by her personal assistant and a VIP lounge staff
member before being put in her car.
"On arrival in Bloem the luggage was handled by my protectors. When getting ready for the dinner, I noticed that the creme (sic) Clarins cosmetic bag was missing from the suitcase," she wrote.
Neither Mrs Madiba-Zuma nor SA Airlink responded to requests for comment.
According to Beeld, Mrs Madiba-Zuma said she was in talks with lawyers about how to proceed.
"On arrival in Bloem the luggage was handled by my protectors. When getting ready for the dinner, I noticed that the creme (sic) Clarins cosmetic bag was missing from the suitcase," she wrote.
Neither Mrs Madiba-Zuma nor SA Airlink responded to requests for comment.
According to Beeld, Mrs Madiba-Zuma said she was in talks with lawyers about how to proceed.
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