The trial of former president Jacob Zuma’s daughter, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, took a political turn in the Durban High Court as state witness Sara-Jane Trent, an attorney and former employee of forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan, firmly denied accusations that she was part of a politically driven campaign.
Trent, who laid a criminal complaint against Zuma-Sambudla in 2021, testified that her actions were motivated purely by legal and ethical concerns — not political agendas. Her testimony comes amid defence claims that her former employer, O’Sullivan, orchestrated a coordinated effort to discredit Zuma’s allies.
Under intense cross-examination from Advocate Dali Mpofu, representing Zuma-Sambudla, Trent rejected suggestions that she was acting as part of a political network targeting the Zuma family. “I laid the charge because I believed the videos and posts shared by Ms Zuma-Sambudla were inciting violence and causing public panic,” she told the court.
Mpofu questioned Trent about the charges she initiated, arguing that her involvement in O’Sullivan’s investigations blurred the line between legal procedure and political activism. Trent responded that she opened the case on charges of incitement to commit public violence and malicious damage to property, insisting her motivation was based on evidence of wrongdoing, not political rivalry.
The case stems from Zuma-Sambudla’s online posts during the July 2021 unrest, which prosecutors allege fuelled widespread violence and looting across KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. She faces one count of incitement to commit terrorism and two counts of incitement to commit public violence — charges she has pleaded not guilty to.
Mpofu has suggested that the state’s witnesses are politically aligned and attempting to use the courts to persecute individuals connected to the Zuma family. The defence maintains that Zuma-Sambudla’s posts were expressions of free speech, not criminal incitement.
The state, however, argues that her online activity contributed to one of South Africa’s most devastating civil disturbances since the dawn of democracy.
The trial continues on Thursday, with further cross-examination expected to focus on Trent’s professional ties and the alleged political undertones surrounding her complaint.