By Johnathan Paoli
A rift has erupted within former president Jacob Zuma’s family over South African men who have allegedly been lured into the Russian-Ukrainian war under false pretences.
This was after Zuma’s eldest daughter, Nkosazana Bonganini Zuma-Mncube, opened a criminal case against her sister, uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) MP Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, over the recruitment of 17 South African men now stranded in the war.
In a statement on Sunday, Zuma-Mncube confirmed she filed the criminal case at the Sandton Police Station on Saturday evening.
She named Zuma-Sambudla, Siphokazi Xuma, and Blessing Khoza as respondents, alleging that their conduct contravened the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act, the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act, and the common law crime of fraud.
“These men were lured to Russia under false pretences and handed to a Russian mercenary group to fight in the Ukraine war without their knowledge or consent. Among these 17 men, who are requesting the South African government for assistance, are eight of my family members,” she said.
The men, aged between 20 and 39, were subsequently handed over to a mercenary outfit operating in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine after being recruited and promised lucrative jobs in Russia.
Sixteen of the men are from KwaZulu-Natal and one from the Eastern Cape.
According to the Presidency, the group had travelled abroad after being promised lucrative work or training opportunities, but were instead drawn into active combat in one of the world’s most volatile war zones.
Zuma-Mncube said she acted out of “moral obligation” after learning that members of her own family were among those reportedly coerced into the conflict.
She urged government to urgently expedite diplomatic efforts to secure their return and cautioned South Africans against falling for “too-good-to-be-true opportunities” abroad, especially in relation to conflict areas.
The allegations landed amid growing concern in Pretoria about international recruitment networks using South Africans as mercenary labour.
Earlier this month, The Presidency confirmed it had received distress calls from the 17 men, who reported being misled into signing documents they did not fully understand before being transported to the front lines.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has since ordered a formal investigation to determine who facilitated their departure and under what circumstances.
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya pointed out that South African law prohibited citizens from joining a foreign army or providing military assistance without state authorisation.
Internationally, questions have also been mounting about African nationals being targeted by Russian recruiters. Ukrainian officials have raised an alarm about this.
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andriy Sybiga recently said more than 1,400 African nationals from 36 countries had been identified among Russian forces.
Ukraine’s envoy in South Africa, Olexandr Shcherba, said he had been personally contacted by anxious families.
Zuma-Sambudla has not responded publicly to the charges, and the MKP has also remained silent.
However, Zuma Sambudla’s alleged involvement is likely to intensify scrutiny, particularly given previous reports linking her to programmes described as security training initiatives in Russia.
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