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The daughter of previous South African President Jacob G Zuma has denied all charges to terrorism-related charges at the beginning of her court case in the coastal city of Durban city.

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, 43 years old, is being charged over statements she posted on social media four years ago during violent protests in South Africa that came after the arrest of her parent.

A period of disorder in various areas of the country in the summer of 2021, including looting and intentional burning, resulted in at least 300 individuals killed and led to damage worth an estimated 2.8 billion dollars (£2.2 billion).

Zuma-Sambudla has been accused of fuelling this violence and is charged with allegations of encouragement to commit terror-related activities and civil unrest.

Background of the Case

The demonstrations were concentrated in the provinces of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal and followed the former president's detention for defying a judicial ruling to appear as a witness at an investigation into accusations of impropriety while he was in power.

She has consistently denied the accusations against her, with her lawyer previously labelling the prosecution's legal argument as insufficient.

She has also consistently said the allegations against her were an effort to address political grievances with her parent after he established his own party and ran against the ruling party.

Backing and Court Representation

This was echoed by the Jacob Zuma foundation, which claimed the case was an "abuse of power" and a "organized effort" of "politically motivated and kinship targeting" against the ex-leader and his relatives.

A few of followers from her group, the political party, appeared outside the judicial building, while her father and other organization officials participated in the hearings inside.

Her legal team has argued that the testimony presented by prosecutors is unconvincing and does not have substantial evidence for a criminal finding.

Central Elements of the Legal Proceedings

• Online comments from four years ago form the basis of the prosecution's evidence
• Fatal protests in 2021 resulted in significant fatalities and financial losses
• The individual on trial faces multiple allegations of incitement to violence
• Court trials are expected to carry on for numerous court sessions

The legal proceedings continues as the prosecution and defense present their evidence before the court in what is anticipated to be a closely watched judicial process with major policy ramifications for South Africa.