Overview

• Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of ex-South African President Jacob Zuma, appeared in court on charges of incitement to terrorism and public violence stemming from the 2021 riots.
• The riots erupted after Jacob Zuma was jailed for defying a court order to testify in a corruption inquiry, with widespread looting and destruction causing over $2.7 billion in damages and 350 deaths.
• Prosecutors allege Zuma-Sambudla used social media to encourage further unrest during the violence, though her lawyer denies her posts incited criminal acts.
• Zuma-Sambudla, a member of the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Party, was released on a warning pending a higher court hearing in March.
• The unrest highlighted deep frustrations over poverty, inequality, and COVID-19 lockdowns, marking one of the worst periods of civil unrest in South Africa since the end of apartheid.