Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday told MPs he would take them and other South Africans into his confidence around “matters of a personal nature”, referring to media reports which purportedly show he has had several extra-marital affairs with various young women.

Ramaphosa made a short statement before he started answering questions in the National Assembly.

“I thought because I work with all of you right across party lines, in many ways, all of you are my colleagues, and just say I will be addressing this matter in a day or two. This, one does, because I do need to take responsibility and be accountable indeed to this House, but I just want to say that,” he said.

“I had a sense that because we are all colleagues, much as this matter is a personal one, I should make this type of statement.”

At the weekend, media reports surfaced that information obtained from his personal e-mails showed he allegedly had various affairs.

According to the Sunday Times, Ramaphosa admitted to having an affair with a medical doctor eight years ago. He told his wife about the affair and said they are still happily married despite his indiscretion.