Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla Pleads Not Guilty As Durban Incitement Trial Kicks Off

The trial of Member of Parliament Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla began on Monday at the Durban High Court, where she faces charges stemming from the July 2021 unrest that gripped KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

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Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former President Jacob Zuma, stands accused of two counts of public violence and one count of incitement to commit terrorism. She entered a plea of not guilty to all charges as proceedings got underway.

The state began by presenting evidence from its first witness, Police Major General Gopaul Govender, who detailed the findings of the investigation into the unrest.

State Witness Testifies About Social Media Activity

Govender told the court that several WhatsApp groups were formed during the unrest to mobilise support for Jacob Zuma’s release from prison. However, he confirmed that Zuma-Sambudla was not a member of any of these groups.

Despite this, Govender maintained that her social media activity contributed to the violence.

“It became evident through our investigative methodology that this Twitter account that was registered under the name of the accused before court was indeed being used for the purposes of conveying or inciting followers,” he testified.

MK Party Denounces Duduzile Zuma’s Case as Politically Motivated

Outside the courtroom, Zuma-Sambudla’s political party, the uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) Party, denounced the case, calling it politically driven.

The trial is scheduled to continue on Tuesday and is expected to run for the next two weeks as more witnesses take the stand.

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