JOHANNESBURG: Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, a daughter of former South African president Jacob Zuma, appeared in court on Thursday after being charged with inciting violence during riots in 2021 in which more than 300 people were killed.

A lawyer for Zuma-Sambudla said she would plead not guilty. Prosecutors allege that Zuma-Sambudla incited others to commit acts of violence in posts on social media in July 2021, when unrest broke out after her father was arrested for disobeying a court order to testify at a corruption inquiry.

What began as anger over Zuma’s jailing turned into rage over poverty and inequality, leading to the looting of thousands of shops, extensive damage to public infrastructure and the deaths of about 350 people.

The financial damage from the riots was estimated at 50 billion rand ($2.70 billion). Jacob Zuma accompanied Zuma-Sambudla to the court in Durban. She was released on a warning until another court appearance scheduled for March.

After his contempt of court sentence ended in 2022, Zuma backed a new political party uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), which was a major disruptor in last year’s national election.

MK won 58 parliamentary seats, contributing to a sharp drop in support for the African National Congress (ANC) which Zuma used to lead.

The ANC was forced into a broad coalition with a host of other smaller parties. Zuma-Sambudla is one of MK’s lawmakers in the lower house of parliament.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2025