South Africa is not lacking in natural beauty, but another thing it’s not lacking in is sex scandals, and we’ve got tons of ’em.

The abundance of sexual controversies that surround everyone from students to politicians is insane, but there are 11 that stand out in the country’s promiscuous past.

Stellenbosch Love Club (1965)

12 female Stellenbosch students decided it would be a good idea to sleep with as many men as possible on campus, and keep a log book of their exploits, awarding point for who you slept with. It’s not a competition, ladies…

The 12 Apostles, as they became lovingly known as, were eventually outed and kicked out of the university, left to roam the streets and spread their “free love” message to the world.

Jacob Zuma rape allegations (2005)

You’d think the person that would avoid controversy more than anyone would be the deputy president at the time, but not JZ, as we’ve come to learn: he’s not one for subtlety.

Zuma was accused of raping a woman in his home, and what made it worse was that he knew she was HIV-positive, BUT countered that with a post-sex shower. Take notes here, medical world…

Zuma was eventually found not guilty in 2006, but the aftershock of the controversy still ripples with his current reputation.

Sex test threatened for the Lolitas of the Vaal (1981)

“Boredom” is not exactly a good excuse to engage in statutory rape, but apparently this was the case with a bunch of schoolgirls from Parys.

After it was uncovered that the schoolgirls were having sex with MUCH older men, the little Orange Free State town was rocked harder than a Metallica concert.

Free State Lolitas (1983)

Odendaalsrus in the Free State played host to a massive scandal that saw young girls engaging in sex with older men for cigarettes and liquor, and some who were just doing it for the hell of it.

The men were required to pay a R180 fine each or go to jail for 60 days.

Mamphela Ramphele and Steve Biko (1969)

Activist and politician Mamphela Ramphele wrote about her affair with Black Consciousness Movement leader Steve Biko in her autobiographies, revealing how she couldn’t resist Biko’s sultry game, getting herself locked into a love-triangle with Biko and his wife Ntsiki Mashalaba.

Sex across the colour line made history in Excelsior (1970)

Another small Free State town, Excelsior, was the stage for a scandal that extended beyond the racial boundaries.

At the time, a number of men were arrested under the Immorality Act for having sex across the colour line, and of course, this was a serious concern back then, especially given that some of the men involved had their hands in the on-going politics of the country.

The minister’s love affair (2013)

Dina Pule‘s infamous red shoes became almost a scarlet letter for affair with businessman Phosane Mngqibisa.

During the affair, truckloads of money went missing, Pule started donning the snazziest of outfits, and it was revealed that Mngqibisa was shoehorned into being hired for the ICT Indaba. Talk about a mutually beneficial relationship.

Wine schoolgirls and song (1982)

The Engineering Winter School at the University of Cape Town was supposed to expose aspiring students to the engineering department, but instead exposed them to the wilder side of things.

Schoolgirls and boys were apparently thrust into drinking, partying and ‘nights of seduction and song’ by two student organisers. Sounds like a weird Shakespearean-inspired scam.

The Boesak affairs (1990)

Anti-apartheid activist Allan Boesak was accused of having an affair with a white woman who was an employee of the South African Council of Churches. Not surprisingly, this gave Boesak some exposure he definitely wasn’t looking for.

Boesak’s marriage then came to an end, when he admitted that he had been engaging in an affair with television personality Elna Botha.

Jani Allan and Eugène Terre’Blanche (1992)

Jani Allan‘s illustrious career was torn down when rumours of an affair between her and Eugene Terre’Blanche emerged in 1992.

Having once topped a South African popularity poll, Allan became a national pariah and received death threats for becoming the mistress of man with some seriously right-wing views.

The two denied the relationship, but the country jumped on the only evidence available, which was a literal through-the-keyhole view of the two allegedly in action.

Zwelinzima Vavi in rape scandal (2013)

Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi got more than he bargained for when he sparked up an affair with a woman working for him.

The woman claimed that Vavi raped her; he said it was consensual. The woman demanded a R2 million bribe for her silence and Vavi was eventually suspended due to the controversy.

[source: Times Live]