Overview
- The State asked the Durban High Court to treat followers’ comments and reactions to Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla’s posts as evidence of incitement linked to the July 2021 unrest.
- The defence challenged the material as hearsay and argued many commenters cannot be traced or called to testify.
- Judge Mbuzeni Mathenjwa deferred a ruling on admissibility, with the prosecution seeking provisional acceptance of the comments.
- Hawks cybercrime officer Janine Kollette Steynberg confirmed the authenticity of @DZumaSambudla, created in June 2019 with over 123,000 followers at the time of the riots, and outlined a shift from personal to political content in early 2021.
- Prosecutor Yuri Gangai questioned the purpose of posts showing looting and violence as the court viewed replies warning against incitement and a shared video of armed men that was re-shared about 500 times, with Steynberg noting that online messages can be revisited and amplified.