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The daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma has entered a plea of not guilty to charges related to terrorism as her trial commenced in the port city of Durban on Monday.
Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla is facing prosecution for social media statements she made four years ago during violent protests in South Africa that erupted following her father’s arrest.
In July 2021, a week of chaos swept through various regions of the country, resulting in over 300 fatalities and an estimated $2.8 billion £2.2 billion in damages from looting and arson. These protests primarily occurred in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, triggered by the former president’s arrest for violating a court order to provide testimony at a corruption inquiry during his time in office.
The 43-year-old has been accused of inciting this turmoil and is charged with incitement to commit terrorism and public violence.
Ms Zuma-Sambudla has consistently denied the accusations against her, with her lawyer previously describing the state’s case as lacking substance.
She has also said multiple times that the charges are an attempt to settle political disputes with her father after he launched his own political party and campaigned against the African National Congress (ANC).
The Jacob Zuma Foundation mirrored this sentiment, asserting that the case represents an “abuse of power” and a “systematic campaign of political and familial harassment” targeting the former president and his family.
A small group of her supporters from uMkhonto weSizwe gathered outside the KwaZulu-Natal High Court, while her father and other leaders from her party attended the proceedings inside.
