Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla entered a not guilty plea at the Durban high court as prosecutors opened their case linking her social media activity to violence that erupted across South Africa in July 2021. The 43-year-old daughter of former President Jacob Zuma faces charges of incitement to commit terrorism and public violence stemming from posts authorities claim intensified riots that killed at least 300 people and generated approximately $2.8 billion in damages.
The unrest concentrated in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces following the elder Zuma's detention for refusing to appear before a corruption inquiry. Defense attorneys have characterized the prosecution as politically motivated retaliation after Jacob Zuma established a rival political organization that competed against the African National Congress. The Jacob Zuma Foundation described the proceedings as systematic harassment targeting the former president and his relatives.
A small group from the uMkhonto weSizwe party gathered outside the KwaZulu-Natal courthouse, while Jacob Zuma and additional party officials observed the hearings from within the courtroom.
The unrest concentrated in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces following the elder Zuma's detention for refusing to appear before a corruption inquiry. Defense attorneys have characterized the prosecution as politically motivated retaliation after Jacob Zuma established a rival political organization that competed against the African National Congress. The Jacob Zuma Foundation described the proceedings as systematic harassment targeting the former president and his relatives.
A small group from the uMkhonto weSizwe party gathered outside the KwaZulu-Natal courthouse, while Jacob Zuma and additional party officials observed the hearings from within the courtroom.
