SA reacts after state drops culpable homicide charge against Duduzane Zuma

26 March 2019 - 14:47

By Kyle Zeeman

Social media users have expressed shock that a case of culpable homicide has been dropped against former president Jacob Zuma's son, Duduzane, after the state told the court that the victim suffered from a "pre-existing condition".

Zuma appeared in the Randburg Magistrate's Court on Tuesday in connection with the 2014 deaths of Phumzile Dube and Jeanette Mashaba.

The women died after Zuma's Porsche collided with a minibus taxi on the M1 highway near the Grayston Drive offramp.

The court heard that Zuma will not have to answer for the death of Mashaba, who died in hospital a few weeks after the crash. This after a pathologist ruled that Mashaba’s death was as a result of natural causes.

State prosecutor Yusuf Baba told the court that Mashaba suffered from a pre-existing condition, which the state was initially unaware of, and that this had led to her death. The condition was not linked to the car crash.

Zuma has pleaded not guilty.

Social media was filled with reaction to the decision, with many questioning why it was made.