Overview
- Zuma-Sambudla pleaded not guilty to one count of incitement to commit terrorism and two counts of incitement to commit public violence under POCDATARA.
- The Hawks’ Major-General Gopaul Govender testified that about 164 WhatsApp groups coordinated the July 2021 unrest, with investigators focusing on eight key groups and identifying more than 100 persons of interest.
- Testimony indicated Zuma-Sambudla was not a member of the cited groups, although many participants followed her on X, which the State says amplified her influence.
- The defence challenged any causal link between her posts and violence, disputing the State’s reading of a “we see you” tweet and arguing that slogans like “Amandla” and “Azishe” were contextual expressions rather than incitement.
- Prosecutors characterize the matter as South Africa’s first prosecution to base terrorism-related charges primarily on social media content, as Jacob Zuma and MK Party leaders attended court and the Zuma Foundation denounced the case as political persecution.