South Africa Investigates Former President's Daughter for Alleged Illegal Recruitment of Soldiers for Russian War

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, is currently facing legal scrutiny for allegedly recruiting men for Russia's military operations in Ukraine.

South African authorities have launched an investigation into allegations that Zuma-Sambudla deceived 17 men into traveling to Russia under false pretenses, who are now trapped in the Russia-Ukraine conflict zone.

Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe confirmed that an affidavit filed by Zuma-Sambudla's sister, Nkosazana Bonganini Zuma-Mncube, claims that Zuma-Sambudla and two other individuals misled these men by promising them security training opportunities in Russia.

According to the affidavit, the men were subsequently handed over to a Russian mercenary group and forced into combat roles. Eight of the 17 men are reportedly members of the sisters' family.

Mathe indicated that specific charges "are still to be determined through a thorough investigation."

Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola announced during the G20 summit in Johannesburg that diplomatic efforts are underway to repatriate these men from the conflict zone.

"The police must investigate and whoever is involved in this must be arrested," Lamola stated. "It is not an easy situation because they are in the front lines of this battle, but we are hopeful that there will be breakthroughs."

The South African government recently disclosed receiving distress calls from the men, aged 20 to 39, who reported being trapped in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. Officials stated that these men had joined mercenary forces believing they were accepting legitimate employment opportunities.

Russia has faced multiple accusations of recruiting foreign nationals under deceptive practices, including luring individuals with false job promises and misleading women from African countries into working in Russian drone factories through social media campaigns advertising positions in hospitality and catering.

South African law explicitly prohibits citizens from providing military assistance to foreign governments or participating in foreign military activities without explicit authorization from the South African government.

Zuma-Sambudla currently serves as a member of parliament for the MK Party, which her father established in 2023 after his expulsion from the ruling African National Congress. She is simultaneously facing unrelated charges concerning South Africa's 2021 riots, where she allegedly incited violence through social media posts.

Neither Zuma-Sambudla nor the MK Party responded to requests for comment regarding these allegations.