Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla: The Daughter of Jacob Zuma Facing Terror Charges

Mon Nov 10 2025 23:00:03 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, is set to go on trial for terrorism-related charges stemming from her social media posts during 2021 protests. This historic case raises critical questions about freedom of expression and the political motivations behind the prosecution.

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of ex-President Jacob Zuma, is facing trial this week on terrorism-related charges linked to her social media posts during the violent protests of July 2021. It marks a complex legal moment for South Africa, where the case is seen as both a test of the country's ability to prosecute acts of incitement via social media and a politically charged scenario involving Zuma's legacy. Observers suggest that the case could be politically motivated, serving as a means to target her father's opposition.

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

In what is believed to be a first for the country, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla is being prosecuted over what she wrote on social media four years ago during deadly protests.

Jacob Zuma's nine-year presidency, littered with controversies, came to a halt in 2018 amid extensive graft allegations - all denied.

Then in 2021 he was jailed for failing to show up at a corruption inquiry, triggering protests and the worst scenes of violence since before the start of the democratic era in 1994.

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

Prosecutors allege Zuma-Sambudla played a central role in stoking this violence.

This unique trial will be a chance for the state's legal team to prove its mettle in successfully prosecuting cases relating to the 2021 unrest, but the accused sees it as an attempt to settle political scores with her father.

He is now an opposition leader after leaving the African National Congress (ANC) and joining a rival party, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK).

In recent years Zuma-Sambudla has emerged as the former president's most stalwart supporter, regularly seen by his side. She has also become an MK member of parliament.

In 2021, she was outraged by his incarceration and posted images from the looting, which prosecutors argue incited her followers, estimated at 100,000, to continue the unrest.

Zuma-Sambudla faces charges of incitement to commit terrorism and public violence but has denied any wrongdoing, with her lawyer criticizing the state's case as weak.

Her case underscores the delicate balance between political expression, social media usage, and legal accountability as South Africa continues navigating its complex demographic and political landscape.