Durban High Court Orders Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla July 2021 Unrest Trial to Proceed
- The Durban High Court ruled against Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla's bid to have her charges dismissed over the July 2021 unrest
- Zuma-Sambudla faces one count of incitement to commit terrorism and two counts of incitement to commit public violence
- Advocate Dali Mpofu led the defence, arguing the State had not produced sufficient evidence linking her posts to the violence
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DURBAN — The Durban High Court ordered that criminal proceedings against Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla must proceed, turning down a formal application by her defence team seeking a full discharge of all charges.
Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former president Jacob Zuma, faces three criminal counts in total: one count of incitement to commit terrorism alongside two counts of incitement to commit public violence. The charges focus specifically on social media posts and commentary she published during the destructive civil unrest that swept through the country following her father's incarceration in July 2021.
Why must Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla’s trial continue?
Advocate Dali Mpofu, leading the defence, submitted arguments before the court asserting that the State had failed to present sufficient evidence to justify the prosecution. The defence maintained that prosecutors could not demonstrate a direct causal connection between her online posts—including comments such as "we see you"—and the physical violence that subsequently erupted. Consequently, the defence team argued that the State's case was legally inadequate to sustain the charges.
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Conversely, the prosecution contended that her published content actively encouraged public violence and coordinated actions during nationwide riots. The mass disturbances, which primarily devastated economic infrastructure across KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, ultimately resulted in more than 300 fatalities and multi-billion rand property damage.
State dismisses application
By dismissing the defence application, the Durban High Court ruled that the trial must continue, forcing Zuma-Sambudla, who accused the State of Stalingrad tactics, to remain on trial as legal proceedings move forward in KwaZulu-Natal.
View a tweet about Zuma-Sambudla's court appearance:
Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla demands probe into Zuma's medical care
In a related article, Briefly News reported on Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla’s call for an investigation into her father’s security and medical care.
Her letter alleged that protection officers may have received inducements to control access to Jacob Zuma, and warned that she would hold the SAPS legally accountable if failures led to a fatal outcome.
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Source: Briefly News
