Umkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) member of Parliament, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla is no longer intending to petition the National Director of Public Prosecution (NDPP), Advocate Shamila Batohi, to withdraw charges against her but said she is ready for trial.

This was revealed by her attorney Advocate Dali Mpofu SC at the pre-trial hearing held in the Durban High Court yesterday. Both the State and the defence said they were ready for the trial and the court dates were set down for November 10 to 21. 

Sambudla-Zuma was arrested and charged in January. The state alleged that she was instrumental in fomenting deadly violence that left many people dead and paralysed the economy, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal in July 2021.

She faced three counts emanating from her social media posts during the civil unrest. Count one is incitement to commit the offence of terrorism, with the state alleging that between June and July 2021, at various places within the country, the accused unlawfully and intentionally incited others to commit terrorism by engaging in terrorist activities.

On count two, which was incitement to commit violence, the state alleged that the accused incited, instigated, commanded  or procured other persons unlawfully, who assembled with common intent to forcibly disturb the public peace or tranquility or to invade the rights of other persons.

On count three, the state also accused her of violating Section 17 of the Riotous Assemblies Act, 17 of 1956 which dealt with the illegal assembling of persons with the intention to cause a riot.

Wearing a black T-shirt with the words ‘Modern Day Terrorism Charges’, Zuma-Sambudla looked relaxed and smiled. Speaking after the postponement inside the court, Zuma-Sambudla said she still maintained that the charges against her were politically motivated, however, she was ready for trial.

“I still maintain that this case is politically motivated. I am in high spirits and ready for the trial. My party comrades and I are in and out of court because the system wants to punish us for supporting ubaba (Jacob Zuma), said Sambudla-Zuma.

At her last appearance in March, she indicated that she would fight for the dropping of the charges.

During the pre-trial hearing, Mpofu read her admission that between June and July she had tweeted using her X account, which had more than 100,000 followers, during her father’s arrest.

However, she denied having incited anyone to cause violence. Her argument was that people who may have caused violence and looted did so out of their own anger over her father’s arrest in July 2021, not because they were incited by her tweets. 

Addressing the party’s supporters outside court, the MKP’s KwaZulu-Natal provincial convener, Willies Mchunu, said Zuma-Sambudla’s case was akin to the case of former UKhozi FM radio personality Ngizwe Mchunu, who was charged for posting ‘Ziyakhala’ (go for it) on social media, but that assertion that he incited violence was not proved.

willem.phungula@inl.co.za

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