Former South African president Jacob Zuma has been mentioned in a newly released batch of emails linked to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after correspondence referred to a dinner arranged during Zuma’s 2010 state visit to the UK, according to media.
The emails relate to a dinner reportedly organised in London, where Epstein appeared to play a role in coordinating the guest list. Messages suggest the event was attended by Zuma and several guests, including a Russian model described in the correspondence as “beautiful”.
Being named in the Epstein files does not in itself imply any wrongdoing. There is no allegation that Zuma engaged in unlawful or inappropriate behaviour.
In a statement issued through media, the Jacob Zuma Foundation dismissed the reports as misleading and politically motivated. It said the coverage relied on “innuendo and guilt by association” and stressed that no evidence had been presented linking the former president to any illegal or improper conduct.
The emails, dated March 2010, show exchanges between individuals involved in arranging the dinner, with Epstein copied into the correspondence. Separate messages indicate that Epstein also contacted a senior British political figure regarding the event. No response from that individual appears in the released material.
Another email sent shortly after the dinner praised the guest introduced by Epstein and described Zuma as engaging, though it offered no indication of any misconduct.
Zuma was in the UK on an official visit between 3 and 5 March 2010, during his presidency. Epstein, who maintained ties with prominent political and business figures, died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.