Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla terrorism trial set to continue after court bid to have charges dropped

Former MK party MP Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla has suffered a setback in her bid to have the criminal charges she faces dropped, after the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) High Court in Durban rejected her application.

In a ruling handed down on Friday, 6 November 2026, Judge Mbuzeni Mathenjwa found no grounds to stop the prosecution, with the case against her to continue.

Zuma-Sambudla faces one count of incitement to commit terrorism and two counts of incitement to commit public violence.

The charges stem from the deadly July 2021 unrest that swept through KZN and Gauteng following the incarceration of her father, former president Jacob Zuma, for contempt of court.

The state alleges that social media posts by Zuma-Sambudla, who has pleaded not guilty, encouraged participation in the violence and contributed to its escalation.

This is a developing story.