Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla Released on Warning, Claims Charges Against Her Are Politically Motivated

• Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla has been released on a warning and will appear at the Durban High Court on 20 March 2025
• Jacob Zuma's daughter is charged with incitement to commit terrorism and incitement to commit public violence
• The charges stem from social media posts she made during the July 2021 unrest following the arrest of her father

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla has been released on warning following her appearance in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 30 January 2025.

Zuma-Sambudla appeared in court charged with incitement to commit terrorism and incitement to commit public violence during the June 2021 unrest stemming from the arrest of her father Jacob Zuma.

While she was not part of the 20 instigators who were arrested after the unrest, she has now been charged for the matter and released on a warning. She will appear on 20 March 2025 at the Durban High Court.

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Zuma-Sambudla claims charges are politically motivated

In her affidavit, which was read out by her Advocate Dali Mpofu, she said that she didn’t deny sending some of the messages but added that they were misconstrued. She added that the charges were malicious and a politically motivated attack by the current regime to target her father.

She also questioned why it took almost four years for investigators to look at tweets and decide it was a criminal offence, saying that it proved the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) was desperately clutching at straws.

State not opposed to granting Zuma-Sambudla bail

During the State’s evidence, the investigating officer said they were not opposed to releasing Zuma-Sambudla on bail, saying she was not a flight risk, and she would not interfere with witnesses.

She also handed herself over to police ahead of her case, proving that she would appear in court when the matter goes to trial. The State's lack of objection and Zuma-Sambudla's willingness to cooperate during proceedings influenced the magistrate's decision to not impose a bail amount, instead releasing her on a warning.

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Charges related to tweets published during unrest

The charges stem from the controversial tweets she published during the deadly July 2021 unrest, which saw over 350 people killed. Zuma-Sambudla was accused of celebrating the violence and destruction witnessed during the unrest.

The unrest was also marked by rampant looting, with businesses reportedly losing over R70 billion. Many of the looters expressed remorse months after the incident, saying they participated because of peer pressure.

Charges were laid following a forensic report into her posts by forensic investigator Paul O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan’s report focused on 65 tweets sent by Zuma-Sambudla on her X account between 1 and 13 July 2021.

July unrest instigator jailed for 12 years

Briefly News also reported that one of the people found guilty of inciting violence during the July 2021 unrest was jailed.

Mdumiseni Zuma reportedly encouraged people to loot the Brookside Mall in Pietermaritzburg and was handed a 12-year sentence.

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South Africans took to social media to express happiness with the sentence against Zuma for the role he played.

Source: Briefly News