Pietermaritzburg – Convicted July unrest instigator 36-year-old Mdumiseni Khetha Zuma has been slapped with a 12-year prison sentence.
On Wednesday, the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court sentenced Zuma to an effective 12 years imprisonment for inciting people to gather and commit public violence.
The court found that the accused incited ordinary people to join the violent unrest.
Zuma made an inciteful video, pertaining to the Brookside Mall, which he distributed on the WhatsApp platform.
The charges relate to the incidents of looting and public violence, that occurred in July 2021 in parts of the country, especially KZN.
During this time, the Brookside Mall in Pietermaritzburg was looted and burnt to the ground.
The July unrest was sparked by the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma for contempt of court.
In the period 9 to 17 July 2021, more than 300 people died in the violent unrest that culminated in the widespread destruction of private and public properties, mainly in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
Earlier, Senior State Advocate Yuri Gangai led the evidence of video footage, audio clips, and the testimony of a guard who worked at the mall.
Advocate Gangai further led the evidence of two experts who translated the audio clips.
In aggravation of the sentence, Advocate Gangai led the testimony of the manager of the mall, at the time it was burned.
The manager said that the estimated damage caused by the looting and fire was about R500 million.
He further stated that the mall serviced five different communities, as well as about 5 000 people who collected their SASSA grants there.
They have all been adversely affected by the burning down of the mall.
On Wednesday, Zuma became the first person to be convicted for the July unrest.
Zuma was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for count 1 (two years of which are suspended for five years on condition that he is not convicted of the same offences during the period of suspension.
Zuma was also sentenced to six years imprisonment (two years of which are to run concurrently with count 1).
This results in the effective sentence of 12 years of direct imprisonment.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) KZN Spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said: “While the NPA in KZN has finalised several cases in respect of the July 2021 unrest, this is the first conviction where an individual has been convicted and subsequently sentenced for inciting the unrest.
“We hope that this sentence serves as a deterrent to others who intend on engaging in similar offences.
“We commend the working relationship between the DPCI KZN and the Prosecution.”
