Who is Duduzane Zuma, and why do the NPA want to prosecute him?

Duduzane waiting to receive orders from Atul Gupta

Who is Duduzane Zuma, and why do the NPA want to prosecute him?

If you think the President’s in trouble, wait until you find out what his son’s done

Who is Duduzane Zuma, and why do the NPA want to prosecute him?

Duduzane waiting to receive orders from Atul Gupta

Duduzane Zuma once operated from the shadows. He’s a quiet, unassuming character that goes about his business privately. But when you’ve got as much to hide as he has, it’s the only way you can conduct yourself.

Duduzane is now wanted by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), and they are keen to press charges against him. However, it’s not because of his role in state corruption. Not yet, anyway…

Who is Duduzane Zuma?

He is the 35-year-old son of former President Jacob Zuma, and made millions profiting from business deals with the Gupta family. However, this privileged individual has previously claimed he “wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth“. Erm, we’ll be the judge of that…

When he was just 26, The Indian billionaires’ company Sahara Computers appointed Duduzane to their board. Zuma Jnr had an extremely limited experience with IT, but took an executive post back in 2008 thanks to his cosy relationship with the Guptas. He was also on the board of Oakbay Investments until 2016

His mother was Jacob Zuma’s third wife, Kate Mantsho, who sadly took her own life in 2000.

Why do the NPA want to prosecute him?

Although Duduzane Zuma is now synonymous with state capture, and his co-conspirators are being hauled into court, this isn’t actually why the NPA want to charge him.

On the 1st February 2014, Zuma Jnr lost control of his Porsche on the M1 highway in Gauteng. He slammed into the side of a taxi, claiming the life of a 30-year-old woman and injuring two others.

 

Deceit and unethical manoeuvres by his defence team kept him out of prison. What will really assist the prosecution is how the defence acted ahead of legal proceedings at Randburg Magistrates. Zuma’s representatives moved very swiftly to pay off all of his outstanding traffic fines before appearing in court which came to around R7,000.

This sly move wasn’t made known to the courts before, despite it being vital information. A series of motoring offences and lack of respect for the laws of the road must surely be relevant in a case of death by dangerous driving?

But wherever there’s an unjust result, there’s Gerrie Nel; frothing at the mouth, anticipating his chance to balance the scales of justice once more.

Through AfriForum’s Private Prosecuting Unit, Nel and his team have urged the NPA to reconsider their decision not to charge DZ. It’s perhaps no coincidence they have changed their minds, now the accused’s father is no longer pulling the strings as Head of State.

Where is Duduzane Zuma now?

We’ve seen that his business partner Ajay Gupta did a runner last week, becoming a fugitive of South African law. It’s thought he hot-footed it to Dubai, and that’s exactly where Duduzane is said to be.

City Press report that he was briefly in South Africa on Tuesday 13 February, but flew back to the UAE on the same day via an Emirates flight. It’s now believed he is staying in the Gulf state, and won’t be in a rush to come back. It also helps when your corrupt cronies have sorted you out with UAE-residency.