Times Live were recently lucky enough to conduct an interview with first lady, Tobeka Madiba Zuma. Although the focus of the interview was on her weight loss and her foundation – dealing primarily with women’s health issues – they slipped in a little detail which certainly did not go unnoticed.

President Jacob Zuma’s fifth wife was welcoming and hospitable, but first there was a security check at John Dube House in Morningside and a meeting with her personal assistant, Khanyisile Maphumulo, who assured us that “Madam Zuma”, as the staff call her, would not be long.

Ok, great, women’s health and obesity are important issues to tackle and they do need more attention and understanding in a South African context, but just for a moment let us put that to one side and look at the madness of how the first lady has her staff address her… Madam? Really? We thought this title was reserved for Malema v.s. Zille mocking wars these days.

We all know that this is not an innocuous title and while it may be formal and polite in certain settings, in the domestic sphere it has such strong undertones of colonial oppression and inequality it is almost surreal that staff in the supposedly traditional Zuma household would do this.

There are a number of reasons this is bothersome but the first and foremost would be the political affiliations of the Zuma family, Zuma’s portrayal of himself as such a strongly ‘traditional’ African man and having a ‘traditional’ family. There is surely NOTHING ‘traditional’ about staff calling ‘the lady of the house’ “madam”… or do we misunderstand which tradition it is you are from, el Presidente?

While it must be said that there are certainly titles of respect and hierarchy in almost all traditions, and certainly many African traditions, we find it extremely unlikely that the ‘traditional’ address for a more senior woman who is your employer stems from colonial, marginalising origins.

Taking a deep breath and calming ourselves before we enter into a wild political rant, it must be noted that it is not clear whether they address Tobeka as “madam” when they are talking to her in private or whether this title was more of a formality for the interview is unclear.

Nonetheless, it is definitely not something we can simply glass over and pretend didn’t happen. If the first lady – and the presidency for that matter – want to be redressing inequalities of the past, you would imagine they would begin in their own homes… SURELY?

It leaves a bit of a disingenuous glow around the Zuma household and by proxy around the ANC itself.

If you would like to read more about the first lady’s weight loss and the admittedly amazing work she is aiming to do through her foundation, check out Times Live.