Zuma Foundation accuses State of targeting Duduzile as trial starts

The Jacob Zuma Foundation has again accused the State of abusing its power, claiming that it is targeting former president Jacob Zuma’s family as the trial of his daughter, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, begins on Monday at the Durban High Court in KwaZulu-Natal.

The trial is expected to run for two weeks. Zuma-Sambudla, who appeared smiling in the courtroom, faces serious allegations linked to her social-media activity during the July 2021 unrest.

The state alleges she was instrumental in inciting the deadly violence that left hundreds dead and crippled the economy, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal.

Zuma-Sambudla faces three counts related to her social-media posts during the civil unrest.

The charges include incitement to commit terrorism and violence, and Violation of Section 17 of the Riotous Assemblies Act 17 of 1956, which prohibits illegal gatherings intended to cause a riot.

The state alleges that between June and July 2021, Zuma-Sambudla unlawfully and intentionally incited others to commit acts of terrorism.

The state claims she instigated or procured people to assemble unlawfully with the common intent to disturb the public peace or invade the rights of others.

The Jacob Zuma Foundation said it “notes with deep concern the renewed abuse of state power in the continued persecution of President Zuma’s family.”

“The latest target is President Zuma’s daughter, Ms Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, who now faces trial on baseless and politically motivated charges under the guise of ‘terrorism’,” foundation spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi said.

According to Manyi, the case represents another attempt to “weaponise the criminal justice system to settle political scores” against the Zuma family.

“For more than two decades, state institutions have been selectively mobilised to destroy President Zuma and those associated with him,” Manyi said.

He added that the trial forms part of a “systematic campaign of political and familial harassment” against Zuma, his children, and those who defend his legacy.

“South Africa has previously witnessed the state’s repeated failures to secure convictions against President Zuma’s son, Duduzane Zuma, who was unjustly dragged through the courts on contrived charges ranging from so-called ‘state capture’ to a tragic car accident cynically turned into a criminal prosecution,” Manyi said.

“Having failed to destroy the father and the son, the state has now turned its energies to the daughter - a loyal and outspoken pillar of strength in her father’s life.”

Manyi argued that Zuma-Sambudla’s only “crime” was expressing solidarity with her father during “one of the darkest moments in our democracy” - his 2021 imprisonment without trial, which the foundation continues to describe as “unconstitutional”.

“The state’s case rests on a bizarre premise: that her social-media posts during July 2021 somehow ‘incited’ unrest. In truth, her posts were reactive commentaries on events already unfolding, as millions of South Africans expressed anguish and frustration at the unlawful imprisonment of a liberation hero,” Manyi said.

“It defies logic to claim that impoverished communities, many without access to food, smartphones, or data, were mobilised into action by Twitter posts.”

He said the narrative was an attempt to criminalise freedom of speech and suppress political expression.

“The use of liberation-era slogans such as ‘Amandla!’ and ‘Azishe!’, words deeply rooted in South Africa’s struggle history, cannot and must not be perverted into acts of terrorism,” Manyi said. 

“Our courts have already ruled that slogans like ‘Dubul’ibhunu’ form part of the struggle lexicon, not literal incitements to violence.”

According to the foundation, criminalising such expressions “erases the language of resistance” and denies South Africa’s liberation heritage.

“The ongoing targeting of President Zuma’s family forms part of a broader project to erase his contribution and humiliate his legacy,” the foundation said.

“Instead of acknowledging the public outrage that arose from his unconstitutional incarceration, the state has chosen to demonise those who voiced their discontent.”

The foundation called the persecution of an 83-year-old statesman through his children “cruel and cowardly”, adding that it “represents an attempt to break a father by tormenting his offspring” - a tactic reminiscent of “oppressive regimes that targeted liberation fighters’ families to induce silence”.

It urged South Africans to reject what it described as an abuse of prosecutorial power.

“The fight against political persecution is not the fight of the Zuma family alone; it is a national struggle to defend constitutional democracy from manipulation and selective enforcement,” the statement said.

The foundation said it stands firmly behind Zuma-Sambudla as she faces what it calls an “unjust trial”.

“Her courage and composure in the face of relentless persecution reflect the same resilience that has defined her father’s life of struggle and sacrifice for this nation,” it said.

“History will record this moment as another low point in the misuse of state institutions to persecute the innocent for political expediency. Ms Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla is not on trial for a crime; she is on trial for being her father’s daughter.”

Manyi said the persecution of the Zuma family must come to an end.

“South Africa’s democracy cannot flourish while its institutions are used as instruments of revenge.”

Zuma-Sambudla is a Member of Parliament for her father’s party, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP).

The state alleges she used her online platforms to encourage violence and public disorder during the unrest, which claimed more than 300 lives and caused billions of rand in damage. 

However, she previously denied inciting anyone to commit violence.

simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za

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