Former South Africa President Zuma's daughter is arrested on terrorism charges
A daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma has been arrested and is expected to appear in court on Thursday to face terrorism charges.
Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, who is also a member of the South African Parliament, is accused of inciting violence during riots in July 2021 which led to the deaths of more than 350 people.
Zuma-Sambudla handed herself over to police on Thursday to face charges under the Protection of Constitutional Democracy against Terrorist and Related Activities Act and incitement to commit violence, police said.
'The arrest is as a result of a meticulous investigation by the Durban Crimes Against the State unit of the Serious Organized Crime Investigation, following the unrest that brought the country to a standstill in 2021,' police spokesperson Brigadier Thandi Mbambo said.
Her political party confirmed that Zuma-Sambudla would appear in court on Thursday.
The case against Zuma-Sambudla is based on posts she made on Twitter, now called X, allegedly urging protesters to cause more damage during nationwide unrest that started after her father was sent to jail.
Former President Zuma was taken to prison for defying a court order to testify before a corruption inquiry. Following that, angry mobs engaged in widespread looting of shops, arson and destruction of property. More than 5,000 people were arrested.
The riots, which lasted more than a week, were some of the worst unrest in South Africa since the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule in 1994. Zuma-Sambudla was accused of encouraging the unrest as a sign of support for her father, although a later investigation into the riots found that they were partly spurred by frustration and poverty during South Africa's harsh lockdowns because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jacob Zuma was president from 2009 to 2018 but was pressured to resign by the African National Congress party he then led over corruption allegations. That set in motion an ongoing political feud between Zuma and the man who replaced him, current President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Jacob Zuma was expelled from the ANC last year and now leads a new political party called the MK Party, which became the official opposition following last year's national election.
His daughter, Zuma-Sambudla, has become a high-ranking member of the MK Party and is one of its lawmakers. The party has been urging members to support Zuma-Sambudla when she appears at the Durban Magistrates Court in the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, where Jacob Zuma has strong support. South African media reported that police were on high alert in the city.
The charges were brought nearly four years after the riots following a long forensic investigation, although Zuma-Sambudla has long been accused of instigating some of the trouble through her social media posts.
'She has conditioned herself, because there have been many threats about her imminent arrest for the past three or four years, MK Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said. "She is awaiting and she will abide by the law as a law-abiding citizen.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Palestine Action to be banned after break-in at RAF base
The decision comes after the group posted footage online showing two people inside the base at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. The clip shows one person riding an electric scooter up to an Airbus Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker and appearing to spray paint into its jet engine. The incident is being also investigated by counter terror police. The Home Secretary has the power to proscribe an organisation under the Terrorism Act of 2000 if she believes it is 'concerned in terrorism'. Proscription will require Ms Cooper to lay an order in Parliament, which must then be debated and approved by both MPs and peers. Some 81 organisations have been proscribed under the 2000 Act, including Islamist terrorist groups such as Hamas and al Qaida, far-right groups such as National Action, and Russian private military company Wagner Group. Another 14 organisations connected with Northern Ireland are also banned under previous legislation, including the IRA and UDA. Belonging to or expressing support for a proscribed organisation, along with a number of other actions, are criminal offences carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. Friday's incident at Brize Norton, described by the Prime Minister as 'disgraceful', prompted calls for Palestine Action to be banned. The group has staged a series of demonstrations in recent months, including spraying the London offices of Allianz Insurance with red paint over its alleged links to Israeli defence company Elbit, and vandalising Donald Trump's Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire. The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) welcomed the news that Ms Cooper intended to proscribe the group, saying: 'Nobody should be surprised that those who vandalised Jewish premises with impunity have now been emboldened to sabotage RAF jets.' CAA chief executive Gideon Falter urged the Home Secretary to proscribe the Houthi rebel group and Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, adding: 'This country needs to clamp down on the domestic and foreign terrorists running amok on our soil.' Former home secretary Suella Braverman said it was 'absolutely the correct decision'.
Glasgow Times
2 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Palestine Action to be banned after break-in at RAF base
Yvette Cooper has decided to proscribe the group, making it a criminal offence to belong to or support Palestine Action. The decision comes after the group posted footage online showing two people inside the base at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. The clip shows one person riding an electric scooter up to an Airbus Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker and appearing to spray paint into its jet engine. The incident is being also investigated by counter terror police. The Home Secretary has the power to proscribe an organisation under the Terrorism Act of 2000 if she believes it is 'concerned in terrorism'. Proscription will require Ms Cooper to lay an order in Parliament, which must then be debated and approved by both MPs and peers.
Glasgow Times
2 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Rantzen: MPs backing assisted dying Bill will protect people from ‘bad death'
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will now head to the Lords after clearing the Commons on Friday afternoon, with MPs voting 314 in favour, 291 against, majority 23. Dame Esther, a notable supporter of campaign Dignity in Dying who has stage four lung cancer, told the PA news agency: 'This will make a huge positive difference, protecting millions of terminally ill patients and their families from the agony and loss of dignity created by a bad death. 'Thank you, Parliament.' Dame Esther Rantzen's daughter, Rebecca Wilcox, speaks to the media while on the phone with her mother (Yui Mok/PA) Campaigners inside Parliament and outside in Parliament Square were jubilant and tearful following the result of the vote. Some MPs lined up to shake hands with or hug Kim Leadbeater, the Bill's sponsor through the Commons. Ms Leadbeater described the vote as a 'result that so many people need'. The Labour MP for Spen Valley said: 'Thank goodness we got the result that so many people need, but I also feel that it was done really respectfully and the atmosphere in the chamber was very civilised.' Outside, a cheer erupted as the result was announced on a livestream to a crowd who had huddled together in anticipation. Many cried and hugged each other, while others popped champagne. Dame Esther's daughter, Rebecca Wilcox, called her mother in front of supporters and told her she wished she was here. Ms Wilcox came to Parliament Square following the vote and hugged fellow campaigners and friends. She told PA that she gave Ms Leadbeater's mum a 'big hug' following the result and added: 'I don't know whether to have a drink or a really big cry. 'There were a few of us in the public gallery and we were all holding hands. I felt like we were on a rollercoaster. 'It was the longest pause when everyone came in and we were waiting for the four and when I heard a three for the 'ayes' I was quite positive. 'It was quite extraordinary. I turned around and gave Kim's mum a great big hug.' Rebecca Wilcox celebrates with Dignity in Dying campaigners (Yui Mok/PA) Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, told the crowd: 'This is for all the people who couldn't be here today. This vote sends a clear message. Parliament stands with the public and change is coming.' Sian Berry, a Green Party MP and one of the proposers of the Bill, told PA: 'We all have experience of loved ones at the end of their lives that have influenced this. So many of my constituents have written to me telling me their stories. You really feel the importance of what you're doing this for. 'I'm confident we have made the Bill robust and I do believe this reflects public opinion.' Supporter Tim Murphy, 39, from London, said: 'My friend David went to Dignitas four years ago and he had to die sooner than he should have had there been a workable law in this country. 'This will impact so many people. So much of the [opposition] campaign has been hypothetical situations in the future but not taking into consideration the actual deaths that have occurred.' Those opposed to the Bill were visibly disappointed. People had gathered to pray before the vote but the crowd of white-shirted campaigners quickly dispersed following the result. Many packed up their signs and left the square and did not speak to the press. Dignity in Dying campaigners in support of the assisted dying Bill celebrate in Westminster (Yui Mok/PA) Bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullally, a former chief nursing officer for England who sits in the House of Lords, said: 'Every person is of immeasurable and irreducible value, and should be able to access the care and support that they need – a principle that I know is shared by those of all faiths and none. 'We must oppose a law that puts the vulnerable at risk and instead work to improve funding and access to desperately needed palliative care services.' Sean Redfearn, 26, representing Christian Concern, said: 'It's disappointing the nation is stepping closer for people to take their own lives.' 'There is no progress as progress suggests flourishing and there's no flourishing with allowing the ending of a life.'
