Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla unrest trial faces evidentiary challenges

During her trial in the Durban High Court, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla’s legal team has challenged the integrity of the investigation into her alleged role in the July 2021 South African unrest. Defense advocate Dali Mpofu accused the head of the KwaZulu-Natal Serious and Organised Crime Unit, Bheki Nazo, of pre-emptively deciding that Zuma-Sambudla was instigating violence before the investigation was complete.

Mpofu argued that Nazo’s written statements contained subjective “beliefs” regarding conspiracy to riot rather than established facts. The defense further suggested the investigation might be politically motivated, noting that the complainant had ties to a private investigator described as a political rival of former president Jacob Zuma.

In a significant development for the prosecution, Nazo testified that investigators examined bank and cellphone records but found no conclusive direct link between Zuma-Sambudla and the alleged incitement. Zuma-Sambudla faces charges of incitement to commit public violence and terrorism stemming from social media posts made following the imprisonment of her father, Jacob Zuma.