South African authorities have launched a major investigation into shocking allegations that a daughter of former president Jacob Zuma tricked young men into fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine.
The Allegations and Police Investigation
The serious claims emerged when another of Zuma's daughters, Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube, filed an official police report on Saturday. She alleged that her sister, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, along with two others named Siphokazi Xuma and Blessing Khoza, recruited 17 South African men under false pretences.
According to the police statement, these men were told they were travelling to Russia for a paramilitary training course. Instead, they were allegedly handed over to a Russian mercenary group and forced to fight on the frontlines in Ukraine without their knowledge or consent.
Thandi Mbambo, spokesperson for the Hawks serious crime unit, confirmed the investigation is underway, though she noted it remains in its early stages after the docket was received only on Sunday.
Family Betrayal and International Consequences
The situation carries particular weight as Zuma-Mncube revealed that eight of the 17 trapped men are her own family members. In her statement, she expressed being driven by moral obligation and accused the three individuals of breaking multiple laws, including those against human trafficking, providing assistance to foreign militaries, and fraud.
Meanwhile, the plot has thickened with Zuma-Sambudla filing her own charges against Khoza. She claims she was duped into recruiting men for what she believed was a legitimate training programme, according to local media reports.
The South African news outlet News24 obtained videos from three of the trapped men, who alleged that Zuma-Sambudla persuaded them to sign contracts in Russian that they couldn't understand, promising they would spend a year in Russia training together.
Broader Context and Political Ramifications
This case emerges against the backdrop of increasing reports about both sides in the Ukraine conflict enlisting foreign fighters. Russia has been particularly active in this recruitment, with numerous allegations emerging about coercion and deception being used to bring people from Africa, India, Nepal, Syria, and Cuba into the conflict.
The situation has drawn the attention of South Africa's highest office. On 6th November, President Cyril Ramaphosa's office announced it was investigating how 17 men aged 20 to 39 became trapped in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. The presidency noted it had received distress calls for assistance and was working to bring the men home.
Their statement confirmed the men were lured to join mercenary forces under the pretext of lucrative employment contracts, emphasising that South Africans are not permitted to assist or fight for foreign militaries without government authorisation.
Zuma-Sambudla, a 43-year-old MP for her father's uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, is already facing separate charges of inciting violence related to deadly riots in 2021 when her father was imprisoned for contempt of court. She has denied those allegations.
