Duduzane faces culpable homicide charges today
Duduzane Zuma‚ the son of former president Jacob Zuma‚ will be back in court on Thursday morning as he faces‚ for the first time‚ charges of culpable homicide linked to a 2014 collision between his Porche and a minibus taxi.
And this time he will not be in leg irons.
His court appearance at the Randburg Magistrate’s Court is expected to be brief‚ as both the state and the defence have agreed that the case will be postponed to August 14.
He will be released on warning‚ meaning he will not have to apply for bail.
While this court appearance should be far less dramatic than his shackled 15-minute bail hearing at the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Monday‚ there are already indications there may be demonstrations outside the court.
An organisation calling itself as “Freedom for Duduzane” has distributed flyers stating their intention to gather outside the court in support of Zuma’s son.
It is unclear who makes up the membership of the group‚ but its slogans make its unhappiness over Duduzane Zuma’s multiple prosecutions clear: “NPA said there was no warrant for his arrest. Why did they chain him? Did they chain [former Steinhoff CEO] Markus Jooste?”
Black First Land First has also come out in his support.
Duduzane Zuma was shackled when he appeared to face an alleged state-capture corruption case earlier this week‚ a practice that the Hawks have said is “standard” at the Specialised Commercial Crime Court.
He was released on R100‚000 bail after being formally charged with trying to bribe former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas in October 2015 — months before his father announced the shock axing of Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene.
It is the state’s case that‚ under the doctrine of “common purpose” or criminal conspiracy‚ Duduzane Zuma associated himself with a Gupta family plot to “buy” Jonas – so that he would act to further the family’s business interests.
Zuma‚ however‚ maintains his innocence.
He says Ajay Gupta‚ who the state has portrayed as the mastermind of the alleged Jonas plot‚ can show through cell phone records that he was not at the meeting that now forms the basis of the prosecution against him.
Duduzane Zuma agreed to hand over both passports as part of his bail conditions‚ but he made it clear that he needed to travel for work — and has a fivemonths pregnant wife in Dubai.
He has stated under oath that he returned to SA to face the culpable homicide charges‚ which he maintains he is innocent of. In this case‚ the state argues that his negligent driving resulted in the deaths of two women.
Phumzile Dube was killed in February 2014 after Duduzane Zuma’s Porsche collided with the taxi in which she was travelling.
Her fellow passenger Nanki Jeanette Mashaba‚ who was injured in the accident‚ reportedly died in hospital a few weeks after the crash.
In August 2015‚ the National Prosecuting Authority decided not to prosecute the former president’s son despite magistrate Lalitha Chetty finding during a formal judicial inquest into the death that there was prima facie evidence that Dube’s death had been caused by the younger Zuma’s negligent actions.
But‚ after Afriforum and former prosecutor Gertie Nel announced that they intended to pursue a private prosecution against Zuma‚ the state reversed that decision.