Born Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma on the 12th April 1942 in Nkandla, Natal, South Africa, he is a politician and has been serving as President of South Africa since 2009. His career started in the late ’50s.
Have you ever wondered how rich Jacob Zuma is, as of mid- 2017? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Zuma’s net worth is as high as $20 million, an amount earned through his successful career as a politician; assets may improve this figure.
Jacob Zuma Net Worth $20 Million
Jacob had a tough childhood; his father, who worked as a policeman, died when Jacob was still a child, and he and his mother then moved constantly throughout Natal Province. Jacob didn’t receive formal schooling, therefore, he is now regarded as the South African president African with the least education.
As early as 1959 Jacob became a part of the African National Congress (ANC), and three years later became an active member of the Umkhonto we Sizwe, as government banned the ANC a year before. In 1963 Jacob became a member of the South African Communist Party, but he was arrested with more than 40 other recruits on charges that he and the rest were plotting against the apartheid government. As a result, Jacob served ten years in prison on Robben Island, alongside Nelson Mandela and other ANC members.
Following his release, Jacob returned to politics and was one of the integral parts in re-forming the ANC in Natal province. He also joined the African National Congress Department of Intelligence, and years later became the Head of Intelligence. Little by little Jacob’s role in South Africa’s political scene increased, and in the ‘80s he became Chief Representative of the ANC, although until 1990 he was in exile as the ANC had been banned from South Africa in the mid- 60s, so operated from Mozambique and Zambia, but he returned in 1990, and began the process of taking over as the authority in the country.
Once Mandela became president of South Africa, Jacob took the role of Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Economic Affairs and Tourism in his home Province of Kwazulu-Natal, and served in the position until 1999. That year, Thabo Mbeki was elected president, and Jacob became his deputy. He held the position until 2009 when he himself became the new President of the South Africa. This increased his net worth to a large degree. In 2014, Jacob was re-elected to a new five-year term.
Jacob has been regarded as the most controversial president of South Africa, as he faced several criminal charges, including corruption, rape, and racketeering among others. Nevertheless, he managed to stay away from prison, while he also put a stop to an impeachment attempt.
Regarding his personal life, Jacob is a polygamist and has been married six times with four marriages still active. Back in 1973, he married Gertrude Sizakele Khumalo, but they didn’t have children. Then in 1976 he married Kate Mantsho, with whom he has five children. Unfortunately, Kate passed away in 2000. His third wife was Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, whom he married in 1982, but they divorced in 1998. In 2008 he married Nompumelelo Ntuli, and he has three children with her. Two years later he married Thobeka Stacie Madiba, with whom he has one child, and in 2012 he married his sixth wife, Gloria Bongeklie Ngema, and also has one child with her.
Apart from marriages, Zuma is also known for his relationships with other women, who also gave birth to his children. According to sources, Jacob is the father of 20.
Jacob is also a well-known philanthropist; he launched the Jacob Zuma Foundation through which he supports children who live in poverty by paying for their education, while the foundation is also an integral part of building houses for underprivileged people.
