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State opposes Zuma-Sambudla bid to drop incitement charges

Published

Prosecutor Mahendra Naidu told the Durban High Court on Thursday that the state has reasonable grounds to convict Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla. Judge Mbuzeni Mathenjwa adjourned the section 174 application and will rule next Friday.

Zuma-Sambudla, a former MK Party MP, faces charges of incitement to commit terrorism and public violence over her social media posts during the July 2021 unrest. She wants the court to discharge her under section 174. Naidu said the state presented a strong case, especially on count one, and that its witnesses gave strong testimony.

Naidu argued that the tweets became more escalating and must be read cumulatively. He said the charges are drafted the same way.

Her lawyer, Advocate Dali Mpofu, said the state's case is weak and must be discarded. He said state witnesses conceded that none of her posts amounted to incitement of violence. He also said the state targets her because she is the daughter of former president Jacob Zuma.

Mpofu called the state's evidence on her "We See You" tweets laughable. He said many people retweeted her posts but were not charged. Reports put the deaths in the July 2021 unrest at 354 and the damage at about R50bn.

Key facts

Who
Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla (Former MK Party MP, accused of incitement to commit terrorism and public…); Mbuzeni Mathenjwa (Durban high court judge); Dali Mpofu (Advocate, defence counsel for Zuma-Sambudla); Mahendra Naidu (Senior prosecutor)
What
Zuma-Sambudla's defence counsel Adv Dali Mpofu argued that her 'We See You' tweets cannot be proved as incitement and that the state is targeting her as Jacob Zuma's daughter, while prosecutor Mahendra Naidu said the state had a strong case. The court will rule on the discharge application in a week.
When
29 October 2026
Where
Durban, Durban High Court
Status
Reported

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