Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla: Jacob Zuma's daughter to face South Africa charges over July 2021 riots
The daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, will be charged for her alleged involvement in the 2021 riots that left over 300 dead, prosecutors say.Violence, chaos, and fear ripped through the port city of Durban, then spread to Gauteng, after Zuma's jailing sparked intense protests over four years ago.Zuma-Sambudla, a controversial figure in her own right, was accused of sharing incendiary social media posts that fuelled the civil unrest.Her father's new party, uMkhonto WeSizwe (MK), of which she is a senior member, said on X she would appear in a Durban court on Thursday and urged supporters to "mobilize all ground forces to attend in numbers."
While she has not commented directly on the charges, Zuma-Sambudla shared a cryptic note on X that simply said: "We see you."This is not the first time her name has been brought up in connection to the 2021 riots, which are considered one of the bloodiest episodes in post-apartheid South Africa.The lingering scars of South Africa's deadly riotsThe inside story of South Africa's week of anarchyZuma resigned as president in 2018 after nine years in office, plagued by corruption allegations, which he claimed were part of a political conspiracy. Three years later, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison for contempt of court after refusing to testify before a panel investigating corruption under his presidency. Protests erupted after he surrendered to serve his sentence.During the unrest, Zuma-Sambudla was outspoken on X, frequently sharing images of the destruction and chaos, accompanied by the caption: "KZN, we see you."She used this phrase often throughout the violence. In a now deleted post, she shared a video of someone firing an automatic rifle at a poster of President Cyril Ramaphosa.In 2022, a spokesperson from the elite police unit, Hawks, Brig Thandi Mbambo told local media they were not directly investigating her, but she had been named in statements from sources.In response to this, Zuma-Sambudla said on X, "I have no fear! I will not be intimidated! I have beaten the dogs, now the masters are coming out! We see you!"At the same time, the Jacob Zuma Foundation, said in a statement the former president's children were being targeted. Last year, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) released a report that said the riots were a "carefully orchestrated event".But it said it could find no direct link to Zuma's arrest. In 2023, a former security guard was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his role in the deadly riots. He was the first person to be prosecuted for the riots. President Cyril Ramaphosa, who succeeded Jacob Zuma in 2018, described the violence as an "attempted insurrection".More than 200 shopping malls were looted and more than 150,000 jobs were estimated to have been lost during the unrest, which lasted for several days.Last year, Zuma's MK ran against his former party, the ANC, in elections, gaining 15% of the vote to become the country's third largest party.
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Scottish Sun
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Elon Musk's estranged dad Errol hails Russia as the ‘peak of civilisation' & gushes over Putin at staged Moscow event
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Scotsman
18 hours ago
- Scotsman
Former soldier who sexually assaulted Edinburgh woman while she slept is jailed
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Daily Record
18 hours ago
- Daily Record
Sick soldier who tried to penetrate woman with syringe containing his semen is jailed
Brad Albut sexually assaulted the victim on three separate occasions - twice with the sharp implement - over a 12 month period at a property in Edinburgh. A former soldier who attempted to penetrate a woman with a syringe containing his semen while she slept has been jailed and placed on the sex offenders register. Brad Albutt, 40, sexually assaulted the victim on three separate occasions - twice with the sharp implement - over a 12 month period at a property in Edinburgh. The ex-serviceman, who was a corporal with the 1st Battalion, The Rifles, was forced to confess about his depraved acts when the woman woke up to find him holding the syringe and a tub containing his semen. Albutt pleaded guilty to the three sex attacks at a hearing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in December last year and sentencing has been delayed on several occasions to obtain a psychiatric report. He also admitted to charges of assaulting the woman by punching her to the body and breaching bail conditions, all between October 2022 and October 2023. Albutt returned to the dock for sentencing on Monday where Sheriff Kevin McCarron said there was no alternative but to impose a custodial sentence. Sheriff McCarron said: 'These offences spanned a period of one year and involved a significant violation of your victim. More worrying, these offences were planned by you. 'I am taking into account your background and it is also obvious you have served your country for a significant period of time and placed yourself at risk. To balance that, there must have been awful consequences for your victim of your actions.' Albutt was jailed for 20 months and placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years. He was also handed a non-harassment order banning him from contacting the victim for the next 10 years. Lawyer Paul Smith, defending, told the court Albutt, c/o the Scottish Veterans, Canongate, Edinburgh, was a South African national and had moved to the UK in 2000. Mr Smith said his client had joined the British Army in 2008 and had served two tours in Afghanistan before leaving in July last year. The court heard Albutt had been working recently with Lothian Buses and the criminal justice social work reports had been deemed him a low risk of re-offending. The court was previously told the first syringe attack took place as the woman slept at Albutt's former home in the capital in October 2022. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Fiscal depute Ruaridh Allison said the woman had woken up to find she was being penetrated by an object. Mr Allison said: 'The accused was sitting on the sofa and she reached down and removed an object from her vagina and realised it was a syringe. She described it as being a very thin syringe unlike one she had seen before. 'She chose not to confront him at that time and gave the syringe back to him. Following this she lay down and pretended to go to sleep.' Mr Allison said the woman was subsequently attacked by the squaddie with the syringe for a second time the following week. He said: 'She fell asleep on the couch while she understood the accused to be in the spare room. Around 11.30pm she woke up to find the accused beside her feet at the couch and noticed he was holding something in his hand. 'When she asked what he was holding he attempted to hide the object. She tried to grab the object and found it again to be a syringe and there was also a small tub sitting on the couch. When she asked, the accused then disclosed to her that both the syringe and the tub contained samples of his semen.' The court was told the woman reported the shocking attacks to the police and a forensic examination conducted later that night had found her DNA on the syringe. Mr Allison said Albutt had also sexually assaulted the woman as she slept by penetrating her with his fingers in October 2022.
