Talk is rife in Irvin Khoza's neighbourhood that wedding bells will soon be ringing for the soccer boss's daughter and President Jacob Zuma.

The Sunday Times revealed this week that Sonono Khoza, a 39-year-old bank executive, is the mother of Zuma's four-month-old baby girl, Thandekile Matina Zuma.

Yesterday, residents of the plush suburb of Diepkloof Phase Two, in Soweto, told The Times they were initially surprised to see President Jacob Zuma's cavalcade arrive at the Khoza's home on January 17.

By all accounts it did not take long for the penny to drop.

A neighbour who described herself as a close family friend of Khoza's wife, Matina, said the neighbours knew about Zuma and Sonono's relationship "from the word go".

"They will get married, they are in love with each other, what is wrong with it? It's official - they will get married."

The woman said she had recently discussed the relationship with Matina Khoza.

However, when asked if a wedding was on the cards, Matina Khoza said: "Leave us alone."

In response to the same question, her daughter, Sonono, laughed and said: "Ask the president."

Zuma, who is due to return to the country today after an African Union summit in Ethiopia, has been silent on the issue.

But the ANC has issued a statement defending Zuma's relationship with Sonono Khoza. In the statement, the ANC slams opposition parties for suggesting that Zuma's actions have undermined the government's fight against the spread of HIV/Aids.

Zuma currently has three wives, including Tobeka Madiba-Zuma, whom he married at the beginning of the year. He is also engaged to 45-year-old Gloria Bongekile Ngema.

Sonono told The Times: "I have done nothing wrong, but this whole situation is getting really weird, with people saying all kinds of things. I will deal with this in the way I know how. I am a private individual [and will continue] living my life. I am just living my life."

Sonono would not comment on her relationship with Zuma, which has reportedly raised the ire of her father, who is six years younger than his close friend, the president.

But the neighbour said Sonono's mother had indicated that the Khozas were excited about the prospect of their daughter getting married to Zuma.

"Mama Khoza is very excited. What kind of a mother wouldn't be excited to see her daughter getting married to a president," she said.

Subsequent to his January 17 visit to the Khozas' home, when Zuma paid inhlawulo (damages) for fathering a child out of wedlock, he has reportedly become a familiar figure in the suburb, often visiting his new daughter.

Another neighbour, who asked not to be named said: "They came here on the 17th. He [Zuma] was here with his bodyguards."

Another said: "We saw them; Zuma himself and other people were here. They didn't spend more than an hour. We don't know how much they paid, but we know Sonono has a child with Zuma. It's not a secret, the neighbours know about it."

International media have also had a field day with the story, which has received extensive coverage in the UK, India, New Zealand and Australia.

In response, the ANC repeated an earlier statement: "Our view is that the matter between any two consenting adults remains their own personal affair, not in the interest of anyone. That goes for some individuals and some media institutions."

ANC spokesman Jackson Mthembu said: "President Zuma has gone on record sharing his belief in polygamy and has demonstrated his responsibilities and his responsiveness that comes with any of the relationships."

Mthembu insisted that the president's relationship with Sonono was not at odds with his commitment to combating the spread of HIV/Aids.

Outspoken ANC Youth League president Julius Malema said: "We are Africans and sitting here all of us, Zuma is our father so we are not qualified to talk about [the relationship]."

But more criticism awaits Zuma on his return to the country today.

Cope president Mosiuoa Lekota said Zuma "has for a long time been a very poor role model".

Lekota said: "His behaviour as a man in a country with high HIV prevalence is highly irresponsible. The latest revelations, coming soon after his fifth marriage, that he has fathered a child with another partner, are scandalous. The South African public must make its voice heard and tell President Zuma to start behaving like a president and not a gigolo."

The African Christian Democratic Party, which had earlier accused Zuma of being a sex addict, called for his resignation.

"Our country needs a leader acting as a moral compass, not a president imitating Tiger Woods, Bill Clinton and King Henry VIII all in one - and all for the wrong reasons," said the leader of the Christian Democratic Party of South Africa Rev. Theunis Botha.

Zuma spokesman Vincent Magwenya said: "I can't comment on issues relating to the president's personal life."