Duduzile Sambudla-Zuma to stand trial in November over July 2021 unrest – The Mail & Guardian

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla appeared in the Durban High Court on Thursday 14 August in connection with the unrest and public violence that occurred in July 2021, in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. (Photo supplied by the National Prosecuting Authority)

Former president Jacob Zuma’s daughter Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla is set to stand trial at the Durban High Court in November for her alleged involvement in the July 2021 violence which rocked Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

Zuma-Sambudla made her first appearance in the Durban Magistrate’s Court in January following her arrest and was charged with incitement to terrorism and public violence relating to social media posts, mostly on her X account, made during the unrest.

On Thursday, she appeared at the Durban High Court, where her matter was certified as trial-ready. In a statement, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the case was postponed for the trial, set for 10 to 21 November.

The 2021 unrest was sparked by the former president’s arrest following the Constitutional Court ruling that Zuma should be sent to prison to serve 16 months for contempt of court.

Zuma had defied a court order which compelled him to appear before the Zondo commission of inquiry for his alleged involvement in state capture.

More than 300 people were killed in the riots, the vast majority of them criminals who died while fighting over stolen goods, Sihle Zikalala, who was KwaZulu-Natal premier, said at the time. According to police, 69 people have been arrested for their role in the riots. Thus far, only one conviction has been secured.

In an affidavit read out by her legal representative Dali Mpofu SC during her bail hearing in January, Zuma-Sambudla said she did not deny that she sent “some messages” during the unrest, but believed these had been “misconstrued”.

During the unrest, Sambudla-Zuma would post “We See You” on X, accompanied by images and videos of the destruction. She said it was “plainly nonsensical and petty” to suggest that people were influenced into violence by the posts.

“The mere fact that it has taken the state almost four years to work out where a few social media messages constitute ‘terrorism’ speaks for itself as an indication that the NPA is clutching at straws with a very weak case,” her affidavit read.

She said that there was no evidence linking her to the riots and that she would be pleading not guilty to the schedule six charges brought by the state.

She also accused the NPA of malicious prosecution, saying she was being used by the state to “settle political scores” because of her father.

“They are aimed at settling political scores with my father, by the current regime,” Zuma Sambudla said of the charges against her.