Leave President Jacob Zuma and his family alone to "reflect" on the concerns expressed by South Africans over his love-child with Sonono Khoza, the ANC urged.

Spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said: "This experience, painful as it is, has taught us many valuable lessons.

"We've noted all the concerns and criticism raised by many South Africans through the media and in private conversations.

"Having listened to your views on this matter, we now make the appeal that the ANC, President Jacob Zuma, his family and children be afforded an opportunity to reflect on the concerns."

Mthembu appealed to the media and opposition parties to afford the families the "space to privately reflect", out of respect and in the interest of protecting the privacy of both families and their children.

Zuma's office announced on Thursday that his public engagements had been cancelled for two days so he could rest following a "hectic" schedule.

Zuma - a polygamist - earlier this week confirmed reports of a relationship and the birth of his child with Khoza, daughter of soccer boss Irvin Khoza. The child was reportedly the president's 20th.

Zuma has three wives and a fiance and has admitted that his child with Khoza was born out of wedlock.

Zuma said he had taken responsibility for his actions and had conducted the required "cultural imperatives" - the formal acknowledgement of paternity and responsibility, including the payment of inhlawulo to the family.

His other children came out in his support on Thursday, saying they were "content" with his polygamous lifestyle and they were proud of their father.

Zuma was widely criticised, however, by opposition parties and commentators, with various political parties calling for him to step down.

Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille slammed Zuma for taking the fight against HIV/Aids back by "at least a decade".

She said the revelation was further proof of abuse of power, both political and personal, by the president.

"Zuma believes he is above the law and social norms... the birth of his little girl in October last year neatly illustrates his abuse of power as a husband," she wrote in her weekly newsletter.

"And yet Zuma has tried to appeal to culture to defend himself. Like the race card, Zuma and the ANC play the culture card to try and silence legitimate criticism. This opportunistic strategy is actually an abuse of culture.

"Indeed, it is part of Zuma's pattern of power abuse. And it justifies further abuse of that culture by his supporters."

Mthembu dismissed Zille's charges of abuse of power, saying this was a "figment of an active paranoid mind".

"It is very disturbing that Zille has decided to rubbish the birth of a little girl with innuendoes and political posturing," he said.

"We fully agree with Helen Zille that South Africa is a constitutional democracy and ruling parties and their leaders are not above the law or social norms."

He added that Zuma had not broken the law nor had he violated the prescriptions of the Constitution.

He said the "incredulous claim" by the opposition leader that the saga would be a setback in the fight against HIV/Aids was "at best preposterous or just plain madness".