No govt expenditure involved in Zuma's wedding

South African President Jacob Zuma (R) and his partner Gloria Bongi Ngema (L) pose with France President Nicolas Sarkozy (2nd L) and his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy (3rd L) at the Elysee Palace in Paris, in this March 2, 2011 file picture. [Photo/Agencies]

JOHANNESBURG - The South African presidency on Sunday refuted press reports that the government would bear the cost of President Jacob Zuma's wedding next weekend.

There would be no government expenditure involved in the cost of the ceremony, presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said in a statement.

Maharaj confirmed that Zuma will marry his fourth wife next weekend at his family homestead in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal province.

"The president currently has three wives. This will be his fourth wife," Maharaj said.

The Sunday Times reported that Nkandla was recently renovated for 64 million rands (about $8 million) for the wedding, the Sunday Times reported, suggesting that the government bore the cost.

Reports in the media suggesting the state bore the maintenance costs of Zuma's wives was incorrect, Maharaj said.

He said the cost of the ceremony was to be paid by Zuma while the presidency would provide logistical and administrative support for spouse participation at state and official functions.

"The spouses pay their own living or household expenses, be it food, mortgages, lights, water and so forth. Nothing is paid for by the State in the four households of the spouses. They live in private homes," Maharaj said

Majaraj said the government did provide a total of 60 domestic economy class flights per a year for child and child-minder travel. Transport costs for school-going children were also included.

Otherwise, the living expenses of Zuma's children were borne by the family and not the state, Maharaj said.

The wedding of Zuma to his fourth wife, Bongi Ngema, will be a private family ceremony, and the privacy of the couple and family has been requested to be respected, said the spokesman.