‘If anything happens to my father’: Zuma-Sambudla warns, demands urgent probe

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former President Jacob Zuma, has warned the Presidential Protection Service (PPS) head, Major General Wally Rhoode, that she will hold the office accountable if anything happens to her father. In a seven-page letter dated 8 September, she highlighted her concerns about political interference, compromised security arrangements, manipulated access, and alleged mishandling of her father's medical care while he recuperates in hospital.

The letter emerged as Zuma is believed to have returned to his Nkandla home after leaving the hospital amid speculation about his health.

The MK party leader alleged that members of Zuma's PPS may have become entangled in family disputes, political factionalism, and internal MK party battles, raising concerns about collusion, security vulnerabilities, and medical treatment administered outside his doctors' full oversight. Zuma-Sambudla warned that if her father were to face a fatal outcome due to inadequate security or medical care, she would hold the relevant office accountable. She expressed her concerns after repeated attempts to address these issues were ignored.

Among her allegations, Zuma-Sambudla claimed that some PPS members had become overly familiar with her father, crossing professional boundaries. She stressed that as a former Head of State, Zuma deserves impartial and independent security arrangements. She also warned that improper relationships and collusion involving PPS members, including potential kickbacks, could compromise her father's security. The letter further raised concerns about meetings being arranged at short notice, which could undermine security planning.