Duduzane Zuma’s culpable homicide matter to be decided in two weeks

Duduzane Zuma, the son of former president Jacob Zuma, will find out his fate on 12 July when the Randburg Magistrate’s Court will decide whether he is guilty or not in his culpable homicide case.

In closing arguments on Thursday, Zuma’s lawyer, Mike Hellens argued that his client could not be guilty of culpable homicide as he could not have known that he will lose control of his car.

State insists Duduzane Zuma failed to be a prudent driver

Prosecutor Yusuf Baba said the court should decide if Zuma took the required precautions on the night of the crash and if not it must find him guilty.

However, Hellens said the State was implying that the driver of the minibus taxi was a saint and Zuma was a devil.

He said this is despite experts corroborating Zuma’s version that there was a pool of water that caused his car to lose control, which none of the State witnesses have disputed.

On the day in question in 2014, Zuma’s Porsche crashed into a minibus taxi on the M1 south near the Grayston turnoff near Sandton.

The accused’s lawyer explained that his client’s car went into aquaplane when it hit a pool of water and as a result he had no control. It then crashed into a minibus taxi. He said there was no specific speed in law that Zuma was expected to drive at. 

Given the wet road he was only required to drive with due care and not to stop on the freeway.

Zimbabwean national Phumzile Dube, who was in the taxi died on the spot. Another woman, Jeanette Mashaba, later died in hospital.

Initially Zuma was charged with two counts of culpable homicide, but the case relating to Mashaba was dropped because it was found that she may have succumbed to an unrelated illness.

The former president arrived somewhat late for the court proceedings. Afterward, Zuma turned on the charm and waved at onlookers.

By African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Devereaux Morkel.