Africa-Press – Zambia. Court hears 164 WhatsApp groups coordinated 2021 July unrest
The trial of Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former president Jacob Zuma, opened in the Durban High Court this week with startling revelations that 164 WhatsApp groups were used to coordinate the deadly July 2021 unrest.
However, the court heard that Zuma-Sambudla was not a member of any of these groups.
Zuma-Sambudla has pleaded not guilty to charges of incitement to commit terrorism and public violence linked to her social media posts during the unrest, which claimed more than 350 lives and caused an estimated R50 billion in economic losses.
Hawks investigator Major General Gopal Gounden testified that the WhatsApp groups were structured to relay “high-level instructions” down to “ground forces.” While Zuma-Sambudla was not part of those groups, prosecutors allege her 19 posts on X (formerly Twitter), including captions such as “We see you” and “I see you” encouraged violence during the chaos in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
Her lawyer, Advocate Dali Mpofu SC, questioned the fairness of the prosecution, arguing that many others shared similar videos but were not charged.
Gounden conceded that the images were already trending but insisted Zuma-Sambudla’s captions “gave credence to the image itself.”
Mpofu dismissed the case as politically motivated, calling it a “systematic campaign of harassment” against the Zuma family. The former president attended court on Monday, to support his daughter, who appeared composed throughout proceedings.
The July 2021 unrest erupted after Jacob Zuma’s imprisonment for contempt of court, spiraling into South Africa’s worst violence since apartheid.
The trial marks the country’s first use of terrorism-related charges linked to social media posts, a case many see as a test of the balance between free speech and public order.
The matter continues today at Durban High Court.
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