Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla: Ex-South African president Jacob Zuma's daughter faces terrorism charges

The daughter of ex-South African president Jacob Zuma has appeared in court after being charged over her alleged involvement in July 2021 riots, which left over 300 people dead.

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla is accused of inciting others to carry out violent acts through her social media posts that month.

The 42-year-old, who is a member of parliament, handed herself into a police station in the eastern city of Durban on Thursday morning before going to court.

She faces charges of incitement to commit terrorism and incitement to commit public violence under a law that deals with threats to the state, prosecutors say.

The MP is accused of urging protesters to cause more damage during the riots as a sign of support for her father.

She was later released on warning - similar to bail but without a money payment - as her case was moved to a higher court to continue in March.

Her lawyer said she did make social media posts on Twitter related to the riots but denied they incited violence.

The unrest broke out four years ago after her father, who served as president from 2009 to 2018, was jailed for contempt of court after refusing to testify at a government corruption inquiry.

The violence was also partly down to poverty, inequality and frustrations over South Africa's COVID-19 lockdown measures at the time.

Brigadier Thandi Mbambo, who leads the Hawks special police unit, said the arrest was "a result of a meticulous investigation... following the unrest that brought the country to a standstill in 2021".

Around 350 people died in the demonstrations, as thousands of shops were looted, more than 5,000 people were arrested, and over £1.5bn of damage was caused.

It marked some of the worst civil unrest in South Africa since the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule in 1994.

Zuma, 82, also appeared in court on Thursday, while supporters of his uMKhonto weSizwe (MK) Party gathered outside.

He served two months in prison for contempt of court but has also been charged with corruption, racketeering, fraud, tax evasion, and money laundering over an arms deal the South African government signed with a French arms maker in 1999. He denies any wrongdoing.

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The former president founded the new party in 2024, years after he was expelled from the African National Congress (ANC) party following his jailing.

In last year's election, MK won 14.6% of the vote, as the ruling ANC had its worst-ever result.

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