JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Rights group Afriforum said on Tuesday it would privately prosecute Duduzane Zuma, the son of South Africa’s president, on a charge of culpable homicide over an accident in 2014 where one person was killed.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) decided not to prosecute Duduzane after his Porsche 911 sports car ploughed into a minivan in Johannesburg in heavy rain, killing Phumzile Dube and critically injuring two, police said at the time.
Attempts to reach Duduzane, who rarely speaks to the media, were unsuccessful.
South African prosecutor Gerrie Nel, who laid out the murder case against Paralympian Oscar Pistorius, will prosecute Duduzane on behalf of the rights group. Nel resigned in January to join a civic group that plans to bring private prosecutions in criminal cases that the state opts not to pursue.
Under South African law private prosecutions of cases can be pursued in the public interest.
“There exist no valid grounds for the NPA to decline to prosecute Mr Zuma (Duduzane), and Dube’s family deserves that justice is served,” Nel said.
During his 36-year career at the NPA, Nel was known for taking on the powerful and politically connected. His biggest scalp was former police chief and Interpol head Jackie Selebi, who was convicted of corruption in 2010.
(Writing by James Macharia Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
