The Legal Firestorm: Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla's Trial and Its Political Implications

Sun Nov 09 2025 09:30:05 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former South African president Jacob Zuma, faces exceptional terrorism-related charges linked to her social media posts amidst a politically charged environment.

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of former South African president Jacob Zuma, is set to stand trial on terrorism-related charges stemming from her 2021 social media posts during intense civil unrest. This unprecedented case draws attention not only for its legal implications but also for its potential to amplify existing political tensions linked to her father's controversial presidency. Supporters claim the charges are politically motivated, suggesting an attempt to target Zuma's legacy and influence within South African politics.

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.

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. The allegation is that these praised what was happening and incited her legion of social media followers, some 100,000 at the time, to press on with the mayhem.

Zuma-Sambudla is accused of the incitement to commit terrorism under the Protection of Constitutional Democracy against Terrorist and Related Activities Act. She is also accused of the incitement to commit public violence. She has denied the charges, with her lawyer describing the state's case as 'weak'.

Several dozen 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 film of a vehicle transporter ablaze and stacked with cars shot at Mooi Plaza, a tollgate 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 power in the Zulu language and was a well-known slogan in the resistance movement against white-minority apartheid rule.

Duduzile and Duduzane are arguably the most well-known of Zuma's rumored 20 children with several wives and former partners. Zuma-Sambudla's trial promises to not only connect to issues of free speech and political accountability but also to embody the ongoing struggle and narratives of power in South Africa.