Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla cools off in Nkandla's controversial fire pool and doting on her father, MK party leader Jacob Zuma. Pictures: X/ @ThatChick__Gee and @DZumaSambudla
Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla has previously been referred to as the “Ivanka Trump of Nkandla” due to her millionaire lifestyle and die-hard support for her father, Jacob Zuma.
Having played an integral part in the election battle cry of Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, the 42-year-old twin sister of Duduzane Zuma is no longer merely the leading social media campaigner for her father.
The six-month-old party’s resounding success at the polls last week, has secured her a seat as MP on the National Assembly benches in the seventh Parliament. And after the spotlight fell on her TikTok account this week, Duduzile has already earned herself the label of “Parly Baddie”…
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Her penchant for the “soft life” – and splashing it all over TikTok – has attracted the ire of South Africans.
On Thursday, X user @Sipho_Says triggered the online furore with his post captioned: “Nothing could’ve prepared me for Dudu Zuma’s TikTok account”.
While she embarks on various TikTok challenges and videos to voice-overs, “Dudu” seemingly has no qualms about showing off her privileged life complete with private jets, snazzy hotels and exorbitantly expensive bubbly.
In a video captioned “Room service please”, we see her in a hotel room wearing nothing but a white towel and lip-syncing to Beyoncé’s hit song Alien Superstar with a bottle of GH Mumm Champagne in her hand.
If you would like do what Dudu did and sip on some bubbly in the bath, a bottle of GH Mumm Olympe Demi Sec retails for about R1,000…
In another video, Duduzile is seen boarding a private jet to the voice-over of someone saying that they don’t fly in “those” kinds of planes where you have to climb over people to get to the bathroom.
In a post ahead of the 29 May general election, Duduzile lip-syncs to Cardi B Like What with a MK party-printed wrap around her body.
She captioned the post: “Vote MK 2024.”
While “singing” to the lyrics, Duduzile shows the logos of the ANC and DA parties on one side and on the other side the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) logo as she says, “First that b*tch hates me, then this b*tch hate me”.
When the lyrics go: “And somehow, they link up and they become friends” she shows the logo of the Judiciary in the centre.
Her flashy lifestyle is in stark contrast to what most South Africans are subjected to, with many not able to make ends meet due to our crippling economic climate.
Online users were quick to point out this fact and accused her of not reading the room.
@Gajigo_C: “She’s out there stepping on our necks, bro!”
@notilahkiz: “Our class of 2024 MPs is a wild bunch”.
@almostzenith: “So this is what she’s up to when she’s not instigating civil unrest”.
@BlazingLEGOs: “Well, this is embarrassing…
@KhathuNets: “She’s now a Parly Baddie”.
@Kat: “This is the person who’s compared to Mama Winnie. Wild”.
ALSO READ: 2024 elections: No ANC-MK party coalition, says Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla
Duduzile is no stranger to extravagance though…
Zuma’s daughter first stepped into the social spotlight after throwing a R400 000 birthday bash for 600 of her closest friends in 2009.
Her 2011 Parisian-themed wedding to her now-estranged husband, Lonwabo Sambudla, at Inkwenkwezi Private Game Reserve outside East London was described as South Africa’s wedding of the year.
The couple met while Duduzile was still a board member of the Gupta-owned Sahara Computers, and among the more than 600 wedding guests was an abundance of tenderpreneurs, alleged state capturers, Cabinet ministers and high-profile movers and shakers.
Around Duduzile’s neck was a diamond necklace which at the time was worth about R1.5 million; her wedding dress was encrusted with Swarovski crystals and her silver shoes were by French luxury footwear designer Christian Louboutin.
She and her bridesmaids were collectively decked out in more than 1 000 diamonds worth R4.5-million.
No wonder the then president stationed members of the South African Police Service (Saps) at the venue to guard the jewellery on loan from a high-end jewellery store.
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Duduzile reportedly still receives a generous monthly allowance from the former chief executive of the ANC Youth League’s now dissolved Lembede Investment Holdings.
The businessman however has seemingly hit a spot of financial difficulty earlier this year.
According to an IOL report, Sambudla’s companies have been accused of trying to sell three luxury vehicles – a Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Ferrari – belonging to a Sharia law financial services company on the sly.
Duduzile has previously been linked to Gold Fields shares and Attractive Move Invest, which received a lucrative SABC deal.
According to The Daily Maverick, she also has an interest in Duzi Investment Holdings, with investments in the financial sector in Zambia, housing projects in Angola, and infrastructure development in the DRC.
She also founded African Star Communications, a PR and events company.
Earlier this week, MK party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela squashed rumours of him being in a relationship with Duduzile.
“I’m not dating Duduzile Zuma and we are just close to each other and my relationship with her goes back to our days in Mozambique,” TshisaLIVE quoted him as saying.
ALSO READ: WATCH: Jacob Zuma’s daughter Duduzile accused of forgery
Zuma, who has fathered 23 children, first met Duduzile and Duduzane’s mother, Kate Mantsho, when the former president was in exile in Mozambique managing intelligence operations.
Kate was Zuma’s second wife. She allegedly took her own life when Duduzile and her twin brother was 18 years old.
The Mail & Guardian reported that in a letter that Kate allegedly left behind and which was somehow leaked to certain newspapers, she described her marriage to Zuma as “24 years in hell”.
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