The ex-president’s daughter who faces terror-related charges

A new chapter in South Africa’s long-running Zuma saga is set to begin with the former president’s 43-year-old daughter set to go on trial this week on terrorism charges.

In what is believed to be a first in the country, Duduzile Zuma Sambudla has been put on trial over what she wrote on social media four years ago during the deadly protests.

Jacob Zuma’s nine-year presidency, which was riddled with controversies, was halted in 2018 amid widespread corruption allegations – all of which were denied.

He was then jailed in 2021 for failing to attend a corruption investigation, sparking protests and the worst scenes of violence since before the start of the democratic era in 1994.

A week of chaos in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces, including looting and arson, killed at least 300 people and caused an estimated $2.8bn (£2.2bn) in damage.

Prosecutors allege that Zuma Sambudla played a central role in fueling the matter.

This unique trial will be an opportunity for the state’s legal team to prove its strength in successfully prosecuting cases related to the 2021 unrest, but the accused sees it as an attempt to settle political scores with her father.

He is now opposition leader after leaving the ANC and joining a rival party, Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK).

In recent years, Zuma Sambudla has emerged as the former president’s strongest supporter, regularly appearing alongside him. She also became a Member of Parliament.

In 2021, she was angry about his imprisonment and posted photos of the looting. The allegation is that they praised what was happening and incited a crowd of her social media followers, who numbered about 100,000 at the time, to continue the chaos.

Zuma Sambudla is charged with incitement to commit terrorist acts under the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorism and Related Activities Act. She is also charged with incitement to commit public violence.

She denied the accusations and her lawyer described the state’s case as “weak.” She used a pre-trial procedural hearing to take a shot at the prosecution, wearing a T-shirt ridiculously branded with the words “Modern Era Terrorist”.

Dozens of posts from July 2021 on what was then known as Twitter are at the heart of the state’s case against her.

In one tweet, she shared a video of a burning van packed with cars filmed at Moi Plaza, a toll gate near one of the towns in KwaZulu-Natal hardest hit by the violence. Along with the hashtag #FreeJacobZuma, she wrote: “Mooi Plaza…We See You!!! Amandla,” along with three fist emojis.

“Amandla” means strength in the Zulu language, and was a well-known slogan in the resistance movement against white minority apartheid rule.

In another tweet, she shared a poster calling for the “lockdown” of KwaZulu-Natal, including “roads, factories and shops”. [and] government” until the release of the former president.

She also included the Zulu word “azishe” which literally means “let it burn” but colloquially can mean “let it begin” or “let it continue”.

The MP was born and raised in Mozambique, where her father was living in exile after spending a decade as a political prisoner in South Africa. She grew up with her twin brother, Duduzane, and was one of Zuma’s five children with his third wife, Kate Manchu, who committed suicide in 2000.

Duduzile and Duduzane are arguably the most famous of Zuma’s 20 sons who are rumored to have multiple wives and ex-partners.

For several years, it was Duduzane who dominated the headlines after his association with the controversial Gupta family came to light in early 2010.

That family has been at the center of the corruption allegations that have plagued Zuma’s presidency. Gupta and Zuma have denied any wrongdoing.

Aside from her lavish wedding to businessman Lonwapo Sambudla in 2011, which was dubbed the wedding of the year at the time, Zuma-Sambodla has kept a low profile. She mostly focused on raising her two daughters and being a housewife, according to South African news site Daily Maverick.

She separated from her husband in 2017.

In that time, she was increasingly seen alongside her father whenever he appeared in public, whether in court or at political events – and as a result the spotlight shifted towards her.

Zuma Sambudla supported her father when he joined the MK party. Despite being a political novice, she has now won a seat in Parliament, following last year’s general elections, and is an influential figure in the party despite not holding any official position.

She was also appointed to the African Parliament of the African Union.

Aside from her controversial 2021 tweets, Zuma Sambudla has become adept at using her social media accounts to show off her strict fitness routine, offer glimpses into her private life and occasionally level harsh criticism at her political opponents.

Willem Els, of the Institute for Security Studies, told the BBC that her widespread public appearance made the case against her “highly politicized with a strong public interest.”

Academy of Political Science Professor Bheki Mngomezulu believes the case is politically motivated and “a way to fight her father”.

He added: “If she had not been the former president’s daughter, these charges would likely have been dropped a long time ago.”

Both experts also questioned the delay in charging her.

The police’s anti-corruption agency, the Hawks, confirmed her arrest in January this year – nearly four years after the deadly protests.

“The fact that so few disturbance-related cases have reached conviction also raises questions about whether prosecution is selective,” Els said.

There have been only a few other violence-related cases in 2021 that have reached court.

The South African Human Rights Commission, in a statement earlier this year, noted that 66 potential cases were currently with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), but it faced challenges due to “a general lack of evidence… and the reluctance of witnesses to cooperate or testify due to fears of retaliation and victimization.”

In the Zuma-Sambodla case, the “high bar of evidence” will pose a major challenge for prosecutors to show that it was not “a mere comment or protest”.

“Prosecutors need to prove intent and causation that the post directly incites terrorism.”

He added that there have been “a few successful prosecutions” under relevant legislation and that this is the first time in “South Africa’s legal history that someone has been specifically charged with incitement to terrorism via social media”.

NPA spokesman Mthunzi Maga admitted in January that the case was “inherently complex” and prosecutors had to use “external social media experts because [the police don’t] You have a social media expert.”

Mr Els added that the NPA would not have gone this far if it had not been confident in the case it had made.

MK criticized the case against Zuma Sambudla as a “social injustice”, while her spokesman Nhlamulu Ndela dismissed the “fake charges” as a “political ploy” and persecution.

Regardless of whether the trial is successful or not, the party can take advantage of this case and present her as a martyr.

At the same time, he is likely to generate enormous interest from the public and become part of the ongoing Zuma drama in the country.