Fourth First Lady: Bongi Ngema-Zuma

Being the first lady - Bongi Ngema-Zuma

In an exclusive interview with the Sunday World, fourth first lady Bongi Ngema_zuma opened up about being President Zuma's wife, her battling with her weight and having to restrain her adventurous self since she's become the president's wife.

Ngema-Zuma spoke about Preseident Zuma's struck diet and how he exercises daily. "He manages his diet without going to gym" she said of her husband. She also mentioned how Zuma, during this years state of the nation address, cautioned the people against obesity. "I know I'm a culprit," she admitted, but Ngema-Zuma spoke of how she is trying her best to stay healthy. She spoke of how she has stopped adding sugar and salt to her food in an attempt to stay healthy. "I stopped adding sugar to my tea… to curb my chances of getting diabetes. she said.

According to her, she's already seeing the results. "My feet are swelling less during summer and I have eliminated another serious threat to my health."

One other thing the first has going for her is that she does not consume alcohol. "many of my friends try to get me to drink, but I always joke and say that if I started now, I might go crazy, lifting up my skirt and dancing on the table," she joked. Ngema-Zuma also spoke about how she was an adventurous person but had to contain herself since becoming the first lady. However, the first lady spoke of her desire to still want to try bungee jumping.

On being a mother, Ngema-Zuma spoke of how her work, constantly being on the road robs her off the chance to bond with her nine-year-old son, Sinqumo. "I didn't have time to bond with my son. That is when I decided to find swimming classes we could attend together'' she explained.

The first lady also spoke about some of the difficulties she faces as the president's wife. She explained how being a first lady sometimes prohibits her from living a 'normal' life. "I am a person who likes to try things. If I was not in the position I am, having bodyguards around all the time, I would go bungee jumping" she hinted. The first lady spoke of how she sometimes long for a normal life. For instance, she mentioned how a simple thing like taking her son to the zoo has become a tedious process because certain people need to be notified. "I stopped the bodyguards form notifying the zoo management because having to do the formal greetings with the officials can be tiring and is too plastic" she is quoted in the interview. "Sometimes I just want to have fun with my son," she added.

A First Lady Is Never Complete Without Charity Work

Like may first ladies around the world, Bongi Ngema-Zuma also has her own charity drive. The first lady's focus is on education the public on the country’s prevalent diabetes rates.

According to her, there are 370 million people living with diabetes around the world, half of them don't know they have diabetes. She says the situation is more prevalent in Africa, with a staggering 15 million suffering from diabetes, of those, a scary 12 million is not even aware. "This explains the high rate of mortality from diabetic complications. A lot of people find out only when they're already at high risk or they just end up dead. The fight against diabetes must be intensified" she declared.