President Jacob Zuma's family on Thursday expressed puzzlement over "the big media noise" about his two children with a Pietermaritzburg businesswoman.

The family was responding to reports that Zuma had two daughters, aged 12 and seven, with Nonkululeko Mhlongo.

Mike Zuma, a relative of the President, said: "She is our mother. She visits Msholozi's [Zuma's clan name] home during functions. She was there in December. I don't understand why people make noise about this issue."

He said the two children were known and were part of the President's 20 children who were publicly known.

"The children are known. The mother even attended Zuma's wedding with MaNtuli."

News of the children came barely a month after it emerged that Zuma had fathered a girl out of wedlock with Sonono Khoza, the daughter of soccer boss Irvin Khoza.

Michael Zuma, the President's younger brother, also reacted angrily to reports about Zuma's children with Mhlongo.

"Journalists must leave Zuma alone. They must stop discussing his private life. We are tired of this behaviour now," said Michael Zuma.

The stories about Mhlongo's children with Zuma invaded the privacy of both Zuma and the children, he said.

"I don't want to say anything about the issue of the children with MaMhlongo. What I want to stress is that the President deserves respect."

The issue should be discussed only by members of the Zuma family.

"When is Zuma going to have peace with his family? His personal life is not for public consumption," he said.

Mhlongo was not available to comment.

She has been quoted denying that Zuma is the father of her two children.

Zuma, 67, wed his third wife Thobeka Madiba earlier this month, two years after his marriage to Nompumelelo Ntuli. He married Sizakele Khumalo in 1973.

His first wife Kate Mantsho Zuma committed suicide in 2000 and he and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who is Home Affairs Minister, divorced in 1998.

He is engaged to Gloria Bongi Ngema, from Durban, whose family presented umbondo (gifts) to the Zuma family at the end of December.