AfriForum welcomes decision that Duduzane Zuma not be acquitted

 AfriForum welcomed the court’s decision today not to acquit Duduzane Zuma (son of former President Jacob Zuma) on a charge of culpable homicide and a charge of reckless and negligent driving. The case has been postponed to 15 May 2019, when the defence team will start leading its witnesses.

Zuma Jr’s defence team brought an application in terms of Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1977 (Act No. 51 of 1977). This application entails that the defence does not have to state their case, because the state failed to prove a prima facie case against the accused.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) initially decided not to prosecute Zuma Jr in connection with a car accident on 1 February 2014 on the M1 highway in Gauteng – in which Mekelina Dube, a young female passenger, died on impact. After AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit applied to privately prosecute Zuma Jr, the NPA however decided to overturn its initial decision and instituted prosecution.

“This decision is not only a victory for the Dube family, but for everyone in South Africa who believes in equality before the law,” says Wico Swanepoel, Prosecutor at AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit.