Our constitution protects our individual rights and freedoms. Customary law in some of our cultures allow for a man to have several wives. Although we don’t think this is prevalent in South Africa; if a man can have several wives, what is to stop a woman from having several husbands?

We however do not think that this topic would have been a point of discussion if it had not been for the fact that former President Zuma is a practising polygamist.

At the heart of this debate is not whether one approves or disapproves of this practice, but whether the taxpayer must foot the bill for their lifestyles – even should Mr Zuma accumulate another wife or wives.

When one considers the whole Nkandla debacle, the whole issue crystallises into an even clearer picture.