Duduzane Zuma's culpable homicide trial to begin in March

Duduzane Zuma, son of former South African President Jacob Zuma, will be tried from March for manslaughter after causing the death of two people in a car accident, the judge in charge of the case announced Friday.

The 34-year-old, dressed in a dark suit, briefly appeared before a Johannesburg court on Friday, accompanied by his father and flanked by bodyguards.

“I want you to be available on March 26, 2019, the date of your trial,” Judge Heidi Barnard said in a courtroom crowded with supporters and opponents of the Zuma family.

Duduzane Zuma is accused of causing the death in 2014 in Johannesburg of a passenger on a minibus, whom he hit with his Porsche.

Another passenger died of her injuries three months after the accident.

The prosecutor’s office had initially decided not to pursue Duduzane Zuma, but under pressure from the AfriForum organisation, it decided to review its position.

The young man is also due to appear in court on 24 January in a corruption case, a scandal linked to the family of Gupta businessmen who precipitated his father’s resignation in February.

AFP