Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
Alleged July 2021 riot inciter Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla on Thursday morning handed herself over to police at the Durban Central Police Station, said Brigadier Thandi Mbambo.
Without naming Zuma-Sambudla, Mbambo said in a statement that she was arrested and processed.
Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of former state and ANC president Jacob Zuma, will make her first appearance at the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
The MK party, the new political home of Zuma-Sambuda and Jacob Zuma, has called on its “ground forces” to show up “in numbers” at the court.
Zuma-Sambudla has been charged with incitement to commit violence and under the Protection of Constitutional Democracy against Terrorist and Related Activities Act (POCDATARA).
The arrest of the 42-year-old was “as a result of a meticulous investigation by the Durban Crimes Against the State unit of the Serious Organised Crime Investigation, following the unrest that brought the country to a standstill in 2021,” said Mbambo.
“The ongoing prosecution guided investigation brings to total thus far, 69 arrests and one conviction,” said Mbambo.
Labelled a “failed insurrection” by President Cyril Ramaphosa, the riots started on the evening of Thursday, July 8 2021, as Jacob Zuma was set to make his way to prison on a contempt of court charge.
By Friday July 9, swathes of KwaZulu-Natal were experiencing unrest, with roads blocked by long-haul trucks, torched trucks, and burning debris.
By the weekend, thousands of looters – including children – had descended on businesses, shopping malls and warehouses, forcing entry and stealing anything that could be carried or packed in awaiting vehicles.
ATMs were bombed or removed and rioters tried to disconnect communication systems at the Durban port, while waterworks were also targeted.
Under-resourced and out-manned, the South African Police Services called on community groups to help quell the violence until the defence force was deployed.
That deployment, however, came too late, the result of communication lapses between the relevant authorities.
By the time SANDF troops arrived, much of the rioting had been quelled by residents and community policing forums working alongside the police, or alone.
Over 300 people were killed in the riots, the vast majority being criminals who died while fighting over stolen goods, said KZN premier Sihle Zikalala, at the time of the unrest.