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Zuma's daughter faces terrorism charges over South Africa riots

Getty Images A close-up image of Duduzile Zuma-SambudlaGetty Images
Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla is a controversial figure in South Africa

The daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, has appeared in court on terrorism charges over her alleged involvement in the 2021 riots that left more than 300 people dead.

Violence, chaos, and fear ripped through the port city of Durban, then spread to Gauteng, after Zuma's jailing sparked intense protests over four years ago.

Zuma-Sambudla, a controversial figure in her own right, was accused of sharing incendiary social media posts that fuelled the civil unrest.

The arrest comes as a "result of a meticulous investigation" said spokesperson for the Hawks elite police unit, Brig Thandi Mbambo.

Zuma-Sambudla handed herself in to Durban Central police station on Thursday morning to face charges under the Protection of Constitutional Democracy against Terrorist and Related Activities Act and incitement to commit violence, police said.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga said the investigation had taken such a long time because the case was "complex" and "unique".

"It is the first time that the NPA is charging a person based on content posted on what we call X, which was previously known as Twitter, for content that we consider to amount to incitement to commit terrorism," the News24 site quotes him as saying.

Zuma-Sambudla told the court that she intended to plead not guilty to the charges.

She also said that there was no evidence linking her to the riots.

The case has been postponed to March for trial in the Durban High Court and she has been released on bail.

ers of her father's party uMkhonto WeSizwe (MK), of which she is a senior member, gathered at the courtroom to rally behind her.

Zuma was also present and gave a speech.

"They are now arresting my child because they don't like her, nor do they like her father, or the party that he leads. Are we going to keep quiet":[]}