The Jacob G Zuma Foundation is claiming that the 2021 July unrest incitement case against former president Jacob Zuma’s daughter, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, is driven by politics rather than justice.
The foundation’s statement comes as Zuma-Sambudla is appearing in court today in relation to the case.
Zuma’s arrest for refusing to appear before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture sparked the 2021 July unrest.
The unrest, characterised by large-scale destruction of property, looting, and violence, resulted in the deaths of 354 people, mainly in KwaZulu-Natal and some parts of Gauteng.
In a media statement, the foundation said it rejects the premise of the state’s case against Zuma-Sambudla, stating that the case repeats the idea that her social media posts during the unrest incited the violence.
The foundation claimed that her posts were reactive commentaries to events that had already been unfolding as citizens expressed anger at Zuma’s imprisonment.
Criminalisation of freedom of speech
The foundation further claimed that it defies logic to say that vulnerable communities were mobilised through social media posts.
“This narrative is not only dishonest; it is a dangerous 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.
“Our courts have already pronounced on this matter of context: slogans such as ‘Dubul’ibhunu’ were found to form part of the struggle lexicon, not literal incitements to violence.
“Likewise, ‘Azishe’, which in idiomatic usage belongs firmly to that historical and political tradition,” reads the statement in part.
The Foundation accused the state of using terrorism-related charges to target Zuma-Sambudla unfairly, expressing concern over what it views as renewed efforts to victimise the former president’s family.
The statement was released ahead of the start of the trial of the uMkhonto weSizwe MP and chairperson of the Pan African Parliament. It will run from November 10 to 21 at the Durban High Court.
Campaign of political harassment
According to the foundation, this alleged pattern has continued for over two decades, with state institutions used to undermine Zuma and those linked to him.
It described the situation as a systematic campaign of political and familial harassment against Zuma.
“South Africa has previously witnessed the state’s repeated failures to secure convictions against president Zuma’s son, Mr Duduzane Zuma, who was unjustly dragged through courts on contrived charges ranging from so-called state capture to a tragic car accident cynically turned into criminal prosecution.
“Each of these cases collapsed under the weight of political motive. 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.
“Her only ‘crime’ is to have publicly expressed solidarity with her father during one of the darkest moments in our democracy: his unconstitutional imprisonment in 2021, without trial and without an opportunity to mitigate his sentence, in direct violation of Section 35 of the Constitution,” reads the statement.
