Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma and a current member of Parliament, has been arrested and is set to appear in court on Thursday to face terrorism charges. She is accused of inciting violence during the July 2021 riots, which resulted in over 350 deaths.
Zuma-Sambudla voluntarily turned herself in to authorities on Thursday to answer charges related to the Protection of Constitutional Democracy against Terrorist and Related Activities Act, as well as incitement to violence, according to police reports.
The arrest followed a detailed investigation by the Durban Crimes Against the State unit of the Serious Organized Crime Investigation, which looked into the unrest that severely disrupted South Africa in 2021. A spokesperson for the police, Brigadier Thandi Mbambo, stated that the arrest was a result of this extensive inquiry. Zuma-Sambudla’s political party has confirmed her court appearance on Thursday.
Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla’s case centers on social media posts she made on Twitter (now X), in which she allegedly encouraged protesters to escalate violence during the widespread unrest that followed her father, former President Jacob Zuma’s, imprisonment. Zuma was sentenced to jail for ignoring a court order to testify in a corruption inquiry. This sparked violent protests, including looting, arson, and property destruction. Over 5,000 people were arrested.
The riots, which lasted more than a week, became one of the most intense periods of unrest in South Africa since the end of apartheid in 1994. Zuma-Sambudla is accused of supporting the violence as a gesture of solidarity with her father. However, later investigations into the riots revealed that they were fueled not only by her father’s imprisonment but also by widespread frustration and poverty exacerbated by the country’s strict COVID-19 lockdown measures.
Jacob Zuma served as president from 2009 until his resignation in 2018 amid corruption allegations. His departure sparked a prolonged political conflict with his successor, President Cyril Ramaphosa, who replaced him as head of the African National Congress party.
Jacob Zuma was expelled from the African National Congress (ANC) last year and now leads a new political party, the MK Party, which became the official opposition following the national elections. His daughter, Zuma-Sambudla, is a prominent member of the MK Party and serves as one of its lawmakers. The party has been rallying its supporters to back Zuma-Sambudla during her court appearance at the Durban Magistrates Court in KwaZulu-Natal, a region where her father enjoys strong backing. South African media reported that police are on high alert in the city.
The charges against Zuma-Sambudla come nearly four years after the riots, following an extensive forensic investigation. While she has been accused for some time of inciting violence through her social media posts, the formal charges were only brought recently.
MK Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said that Zuma-Sambudla had been prepared for her potential arrest due to ongoing threats over the past few years. “She is awaiting and will abide by the law as a law-abiding citizen,” Ndhlela added.