Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla pleaded not guilty on Monday in the Durban High Court as her trial began, she is facing allegations that she incited the deadly July 2021 unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng following the arrest of her father, former president Jacob Zuma, for contempt of court.
The State has charged Zuma-Sambudla, an Umkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) member of Parliament, with incitement to terrorism and public violence. It alleges that between 29 June and July 2021, her social media posts encouraged mass unrest and coordinated acts of violence in response to Zuma’s arrest.
The trial has drawn strong public and political attention, with former president Zuma and senior MKP leaders attending proceedings to support her. Zuma-Sambudla, who has 124,000 followers on X, has been accused by prosecutors of using her influence to fuel the chaos that left more than 300 people dead.
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State outlines coordinated unrest plan
The State’s first witness, Major General Gopal Gounden from the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), told the court that investigators found 164 WhatsApp groups created to coordinate the unrest.
He said eight of those groups were found to be directly responsible for organising attacks and looting.
Gounden testified that two of the most active groups were based in the eThekwini region, particularly the INK area—Inanda, Ntuzuma, and KwaMashu—where 103 persons of interest were identified. He said messages sent in these groups contained direct instructions on what actions to take and when to execute them.
Defence denies wrongdoing, cites political motives
Zuma-Sambudla’s defence, led by advocate Dali Mpofu SC, argued that the State was pursuing a politically motivated case.
In her affidavit, Zuma-Sambudla said the prosecution aimed to settle political scores against her father through her, calling the charges a form of harassment by the current administration.
She acknowledged sending some messages during the unrest but said her posts, such as “We See You”, were being misinterpreted. She described the allegations that her social media activity incited violence as “plainly nonsensical and petty.”
Her legal team emphasized that similar charges against former Ukhozi FM radio personality Ngizwe Mchunu, accused of using the phrase “ay’khale” to incite unrest, resulted in acquittal in 2023. They argued that this precedent demonstrated weaknesses in the State’s case.
Zuma-Sambudla maintains that there is no evidence linking her to the organisation or execution of the riots, saying the National Prosecuting Authority is “clutching at straws.” The trial, expected to run until 21 November, will include testimony from six witnesses, three of whom are social media experts.
