Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of former South African president Jacob Zuma, pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of inciting violence during the deadly 2021 riots that left more than 300 people dead and caused billions in damage.
Zuma-Sambudla appeared before the Durban High Court for the opening of her trial, where prosecutors accused her of using social media to encourage unrest and looting following her father’s arrest in July 2021.
The riots, some of the worst in post-apartheid South Africa, erupted after Jacob Zuma was jailed for contempt of court for refusing to testify before a commission investigating corruption during his presidency.
What began as protests demanding Zuma’s release quickly escalated into widespread looting and violence across KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces.
The turmoil caused extensive damage to infrastructure, businesses and supply chains, with financial losses estimated at around 50 billion rand ($2.9 billion at current exchange rates).
Jacob Zuma, who remains an influential political figure, attended Monday’s court session to show support for his daughter. He sat alongside members of his new political movement, uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), which has emerged as a growing force in South African politics.
The MK party played a major role in disrupting last year’s national elections, drawing significant support away from the ruling African National Congress (ANC), which Zuma once led.
Prosecutors say Zuma-Sambudla’s social media activity during the unrest directly contributed to the chaos, while her legal team maintains she merely exercised her right to free expression and had no intent to incite violence.
The trial is expected to draw intense public interest, given both the political weight of the Zuma family and the lingering scars left by the 2021 riots, one of the darkest episodes in South Africa’s democratic era.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
