Mdumiseni Zuma has been sentenced to 12 years imprisonment, with two years suspended, for his role in inciting the violent July 2021 civil unrest in South Africa.
Mdumiseni Zuma handed 12-year sentence for inciting 2021 July riots
On Wednesday, Zuma faced the Pietermaritzburg High Court, where he was convicted for contravening Sections 17 and 18 of the Riotous Assemblies Act.
His conviction stemmed from creating and distributing an inciteful video on WhatsApp, targeting the Brookside Mall. Senior State Advocate Yuri Gangai presented damning evidence, including video footage, audio clips, and testimonies from a mall guard and two experts who translated the audio clips.
The trial showcased the extensive damage caused by the unrest, particularly to the Brookside Mall.
The mall’s manager testified that the looting and fire resulted in an estimated R500 million in damages, severely impacting five communities and around 5 000 people reliant on the mall for services like SASSA grants. Zuma’s actions had far-reaching consequences, affecting thousands of lives.
SIMILAR – Ngizwe Mchunu cleared from inciting ‘Free Jacob Zuma’ riots
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, highlighted the significance of this case.
It marks the first instance where an individual has been convicted and sentenced for inciting the July 2021 unrest. The NPA hopes this sentence will deter others from engaging in similar offences, emphasising the collaborative efforts between the DPCI KZN and the prosecution.
Zuma, a security guard at the mall during the incident, recorded a video inside the mall, inciting people to loot if the mall opened the next day.
Despite his defence claiming he was drunk and the video was a prank, the court found him guilty of inciting violence that led to the mall being looted and set alight.
The 2021 South African unrest, sparked by the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma for contempt of court, saw widespread rioting and looting, exacerbated by economic inequality and pandemic-induced job layoffs. The violence, primarily in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, was the worst since the end of apartheid, with 354 people losing their lives and over 5,500 arrests.
