NPA hopes Mdumiseni Zuma's sentencing serves as warning to would-be offenders

NPA hopes Mdumiseni Zuma’s sentencing serves as warning to would-be offenders

DURBAN – The July unrest instigator charged for the torching of the Brookside Mall in Pietermaritzburg has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Mdumiseni Zuma was found guilty of inciting public looting at the mall in KwaZulu-Natal during the 2021 July riots.

At the time, Zuma took video footage of himself inviting people to loot the mall, which was later burnt to the ground.

Hundreds died between KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng during that volatile period.

On Wednesday, Mdumiseni Zuma became the first July unrest instigator to be sent to jail.

Zuma was charged for the looting and the burning down of the Brookside Mall in Pietermaritzburg.

During the trial, he told the court that his video had an impact on the disruptions.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara: “The Pietermaritzburg Regional Court sentenced Mdumiseni Khetha Zuma (36) to an effective 12 years imprisonment following his conviction on contravening Sections 17 and 18 of the Riotous Assemblies Act, where he incited people to gather and commit public violence.”

The NPA added that it hopes this sentence will serve as a warning to other would-be offenders.

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