Accused whose WhatsApp video incited torching of Brookside Mall during July riots convicted

Mdumiseni Khetha Zuma has been found guilty after a KwaZulu-Natal court ruled that a video he shared on WhatsApp led to the torching of the Brookside Mall in the KZN Midlands during the 2021 July riots. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the conviction makes Zuma the first instigator in KZN to be convicted.

Zuma appeared in the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court on Friday and was found guilty of contravening Sections 17 and 18 of the Riotous Assemblies Act, where he incited people to gather and commit public violence.

Provincial NPA spokesperson, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the charges relate to the incidents of looting and public violence that occurred in July 2021 in parts of the country, especially in KZN. During this time, the Brookside Mall in Pitermaritzburg was looted and burnt to the ground.

She said Zuma made an inciteful video, pertaining to the mall and shared it on WhatsApp.

“During the judgment, the presiding officer found that Zuma’s WhatsApp video could have caused people to commit public violence. This was also based on Zuma’s own admission during his testimony that if he received a message similar to the one he released, he too, would have taken action to commit public violence,” Ramkisson-Kara said.

The case has been remanded to October 9 for pre-sentencing reports prior to sentencing. Zuma remains in custody.

-IOL

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