The Sunday Times has established that former president Jacob Zuma has been in a relationship with 24-year-old Nonkanyiso Conco for five years, after first meeting her at the Zulu reed dance at Nongoma in 2013 when she was 19.

Conco is from Matatiele on the KZN border with the Eastern Cape and has long been an outspoken fan on keeping Zulu traditions alive. She was this week forced to resign from her job as the treasurer and communications officer of nonprofit organisation She Conquers, a women’s empowerment organisation that was not impressed about her Zuma affair.

She bore Zuma a child on his 76th birthday this month.

She also did work for a graphic design firm that was contracted to, among other companies, Zuma’s wife Tobeka.

Zuma paid lobola for Conco in 2016 and the relationship continued to be secret until The Citizen first reported on it last week Friday. Conco only told her family about the relationship in 2016 despite having visited Nkandla since she was 19.

Her uncle Wele Dolomba told the Sunday Times they were happy about the future union. He said they were impressed that Zuma had only impregnated his niece after paying lobola.

Zuma spokesperson Ray Zuma said the media should focus itself more on current president Cyril Ramaphosa now.

He wouldn’t divulge how much the lobola had cost.