By Dylan Bettencourt
- Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla walked free from court and will appear again in March to face charges linked to the 2021 riots.
- Her father Jacob Zuma came to support her in court where her lawyer called the case politically motivated.
Former president Jacob Zuma’s daughter Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla left court a free woman on Thursday after a magistrate released her on a warning.
She had appeared in the Durban Magistrate’s Court where her case was moved to the KwaZulu-Natal High Court. She’ll be back in the dock on 20 March.
Her father was there to support her, along with uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party leaders Floyd Shivambu and Willies Mchunu.
Magistrate Irfaan Khalil said nothing showed Zuma-Sambudla would run away if released. “I have considered all of your favourable circumstances and the state not opposing bail. I believe there are exceptional circumstances,” he said.
She faces charges under anti-terrorism laws and is accused of encouraging violence during the 2021 July unrest.
Prosecutor Yuri Gangai didn’t fight her release. He said Zuma-Sambudla had worked with investigators and they knew where she lived and worked.
Her lawyer Dali Mpofu read out her statement in court. In it, she denied guilt and claimed the case was a political attack on her father.
“I also hold the strong view that the charges are malicious and politically motivated. They are aimed at settling political scores with my father by the current regime,” she said.
She plans to sue the National Prosecuting Authority for what she calls wrongful prosecution.
The state says it has proof linking her social media posts to the violence that erupted after her father went to jail in July 2021.
Mpofu called the case “a waste of time” and said they hadn’t even seen the full case file yet.
On Thursday morning, Duduzile Zuma walked into the Durban Central police station on Thursday morning with lawyer Dali Mpofu by her side.
Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Thandi Mbambo said they had arrested and processed Zuma-Sambudla.
The arrest comes after what Mbambo called “a meticulous investigation” into the 2021 riots that brought the country to its knees.
The Hawks have been busy. Mbambo said they had made “69 arrests and one conviction” since they started looking into the unrest.
The head of the Hawks, Lieutenant-General Godfrey Lebeya, made it clear they would not stop.
“It will be clear by now that the [Hawks] shall continue to secure in court the attendance of anyone against whom sufficient evidence of committing a national priority offence is obtained, without fear, favour or prejudice,” he said, News24 reported.
The violence in 2021 started after former president Jacob Zuma went to jail. Shopping malls were looted, and buildings were burned in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
Pictured above: Duduzile Zuma.
Source: @MkhontoweSizwex
