A DAUGHTER of former South African President Jacob Zuma has been arrested and appeared in court today to face terrorism charges.

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, who represents the Spear of the Nation (MK) party in the South African Parliament, is accused of inciting violence during riots in July 2021 which led to the deaths of more than 350 people.

Ms Zuma-Sambudla was released on warning — which is similar to bail without money needing to be put down — while her case was moved to a higher court to continue in March.

“The arrest is 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,” police spokesperson Brigadier Thandi Mbambo said.

The case against Ms Zuma-Sambudla is based on posts that she made on Twitter, now called X, allegedly urging protesters to cause more damage during nationwide unrest that started after her father was sent to jail.

Her lawyer said that she did make social media posts but denied they incited violence.

Former President Zuma was taken to prison for defying a court order to testify before a corruption inquiry.

Following that, angry mobs engaged in widespread looting of shops, arson and destruction of property. More than 5,000 people were arrested.

The riots, which lasted more than a week, were some of the worst unrest in South Africa since the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule in 1994. 

Ms Zuma-Sambudla was accused of encouraging the unrest as a sign of support for her father, although a later investigation into the riots found that they were partly spurred by frustration and poverty during South Africa’s lockdowns because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ms Zuma-Sambudla made no comment in court where she appeared wearing a headscarf in the black and green colours of the MK Party.