Prosecutors revealed during opening arguments Monday that 164 WhatsApp groups coordinated the July 2021 unrest in South Africa, though Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla belonged to none of them. The daughter of former President Jacob Zuma entered a not guilty plea at the KwaZulu-Natal High Court on terrorism and incitement charges stemming from social media posts made after her father's imprisonment for contempt of court. Riots following his arrest killed more than 354 people and inflicted 50 billion rand in economic losses through looting, arson and destruction of property across KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces.
Investigators identified eight primary communication channels that filtered instructions from leadership to participants on the ground, with 103 individuals flagged as persons of interest for allegedly encouraging criminal activity. Some groups formed immediately after the Constitutional Court ruling on 29 June 2021, suggesting advance planning before violence erupted. Defense attorney Dali Mpofu raised concerns about the late completion of evidence as the trial commenced before Judge Mbuzeni Mathenjwa for two weeks of testimony.
Investigators identified eight primary communication channels that filtered instructions from leadership to participants on the ground, with 103 individuals flagged as persons of interest for allegedly encouraging criminal activity. Some groups formed immediately after the Constitutional Court ruling on 29 June 2021, suggesting advance planning before violence erupted. Defense attorney Dali Mpofu raised concerns about the late completion of evidence as the trial commenced before Judge Mbuzeni Mathenjwa for two weeks of testimony.
