By: Buhle Mbhele
The JG Zuma Foundation has condemned what it calls the “persecution” of former president Jacob Zuma through his children, describing it as cruel and cowardly.
This follows the start of Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla’s trial at the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg on Monday. She faces charges of incitement to commit terrorism and public violence in connection with the July 2021 unrest that swept through KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng. The violence, which erupted shortly after Zuma’s imprisonment for contempt of court, left more than 350 people dead and caused billions of rand in damage.
Zuma-Sambudla has denied any wrongdoing, insisting that her social media posts at the time were taken out of context and that she merely expressed support for her father.
Her father’s long-running corruption case, relating to the multibillion-rand arms deal dating back to the late 1990s, is expected to resume in the Pietermaritzburg High Court next month.
The foundation’s spokesperson, Mzwanele Manyi, said the continued legal actions against members of the Zuma family form part of a broader “political persecution” aimed at silencing dissent.
“The fight against political persecution is a national struggle to defend constitutional democracy from manipulation and selective enforcement,” Manyi said.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has maintained that its actions are guided strictly by the law and evidence, not politics.
