The Presidency has addressed the plight of South African men, sent for supposed bodyguard training, who found themselves unwillingly deployed to fight on the front line in Ukraine.
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- The Presidency has spoken for the first time about the men sent under false pretenses to fight for Russia in Ukraine.
- Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the situation was “complex and sensitive”.
- On Friday, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla resigned as MK Party MP after a complaint of human trafficking was laid against her.
The Presidency has broken its silence on efforts to return a group of men stranded on the frontlines in Ukraine after being lured into fighting for Russia under false pretenses.
The men, whom the Presidency said in a statement on 6 November numbered at least 17 South Africans, were offered training to become MK Party bodyguards before they flew out of OR Tambo Airport in July.
Six of the men, and many of their relatives to whom News24 has spoken, all alleged that they were recruited by Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, Blessing Khoza and Siphokazi Xuma-Zuma.
The men also alleged that the three convinced them to sign contracts written in Russian, which they did not understand, which have compelled them to fight in the war.
At a media briefing held on Friday, the MK Party announced Zuma-Sambudla’s resignation as an MP. The party was also at pains to distance itself from the men’s predicament and to disown its involvement in the saga.
On Saturday, Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya addressed the issue for the first time since 6 November, but he did not hold out hope for a swift resolution.
He said on Saturday:
The situation is complex and sensitive, not least because the individuals are reportedly in an active combat zone, which limits our avenues for assistance. We are, therefore, handling this matter with the required discretion and urgency.
“For the safety of those involved and the integrity of the process, we cannot provide further operational or any other details at this time,” he added.
“We encourage anyone with credible information to channel it through the appropriate law enforcement agencies to support official efforts. The well-being of South African citizens abroad remains a key priority.”
READ | MKP says Zuma-Sambudla’s resignation not admission of guilt, denies Ukraine war recruitment
In a statement on 6 November, the Presidency said: “The government of South Africa has received distress calls for assistance to return home, from 17 South African men, between the ages of 20–39 years, who are trapped in the war-torn Donbas, Ukraine.
“The seventeen, 16 of whom come from KwaZulu-Natal and one from the Eastern Cape, were lured to join mercenary forces involved in the Ukraine-Russia war under the pretext of lucrative employment contracts.”
The statement said that the Foreign Military Assistance Act forbade citizens from fighting in foreign wars without permission from the government, and President Cyril Ramaphosa had ordered an investigation into how the men were recruited into mercenary activities.
On 11 November, News24 revealed that the men were sent to Russia for training as MK Party bodyguards.
READ | Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla resigns as MK Party MP amid Russian war recruitment scandal
News24 also reported that party president Jacob Zuma had written a letter to Russia’s Defence Minister, Andrey Belousov, saying the men had been misled, and begging him to move them off the frontline and to a safer place.
In the letter, Zuma wrote that the men came from “prestigious and influential” African families and that, if they were to be harmed, it would affect “the future of Russo-African relations”.
Zuma-Sambudla’s resignation as MP follows a complaint of human trafficking laid against her last weekend by her half-sister, Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube, who said in a statement that eight of her family members were among the group.
The DA also laid a complaint against Zuma-Sambudla this week.
Earlier this week, Zuma-Sambudla laid counter charges – a police complaint against Khoza for fraud.
