South Africa has launched a criminal inquiry into MK Party MP Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla (daughter from old president Jacob Zuma) following allegations that she and two associates recruited 17 South African men to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war by falsely promising them bodyguard training for her father's political movement. The complaint, filed between November 22 and 26 by Zuma-Sambudla's half-sister Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube, alleges the men—eight of whom are reported to be family members, aged 20 to 39—were deceived into traveling to Russia and subsequently handed over to a mercenary group operating near Ukraine's Donbas frontlines.
The case marks an acute test of South Africa's legal and diplomatic frameworks at the intersection of domestic accountability, non-aligned foreign policy, and the global foreign-fighter market. It poses uncomfortable questions about Pretoria's capacity to enforce anti-trafficking and anti-mercenary statutes when alleged facilitators are politically connected, the destination is a strategic BRICS partner, and the victims remain trapped in an active war zone. The Hawks' Crimes Against the State component has assumed control of the inquiry, signaling the gravity with which authorities are treating potential contraventions of the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act and the Foreign Military Assistance Act.
The allegations and the state response
According to Zuma-Mncube's affidavit and statements by police spokespersons Athlenda Mathe and Brigadier Thandi Mbambo, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla is accused alongside Siphokazi Xuma and Blessing Khoza of orchestrating a recruitment scheme that promised VIP protection and bodyguard training for the Mkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party, founded by former president Jacob Zuma. Instead, the men allegedly found themselves in Russia, then deployed to combat zones in eastern Ukraine. News24 has reported receiving videos from several of the stranded men stating they signed contracts in Russian they could not understand and were assured they would not be sent to the front lines. Ukraine's ambassador to South Africa, Olexandr Shcherba, stated he was aware of the 17 men who had been deceived into fighting a war that Africa has nothing to do with, characterizing it as a colonial conflict and expressing concern that Africans were fighting against a free country.
South Africa's presidency acknowledged receiving distress calls from the men and confirmed it is working through diplomatic channels to secure their repatriation. Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola told reporters that those found responsible for illegal recruitment should be arrested, and that coordination with Russian and Ukrainian authorities is underway—complicated by the men's reported proximity to active combat. Jacob Zuma himself has reportedly appealed directly to Russia's Defence Minister Andrey Belousov, requesting the men be relocated to safer areas.
Members are reading: Why this case tests South Africa's capacity to enforce anti-mercenary laws when the accused is politically connected and the destination is a BRICS ally.
What comes next
The Hawks will now gather evidence, interview witnesses, and potentially seek mutual legal assistance from Russian and Ukrainian authorities to build a prosecutable case. If charges are filed, penalties under South African law are severe: human trafficking convictions can carry sentences of up to 25 years, while unauthorized military assistance abroad can result in substantial fines and imprisonment. The Director of Public Prosecutions will ultimately decide whether the evidence meets the threshold for prosecution.
Diplomatically, Pretoria faces a delicate balancing act. Securing the return of 17 citizens from a war zone requires Russian cooperation, yet pressing criminal charges against alleged facilitators—including a sitting MP—signals that South Africa will not tolerate trafficking schemes, regardless of the destination state's geopolitical alignment. For the men themselves, the immediate priority is survival and repatriation; for South Africa's legal system, the challenge is demonstrating that the rule of law applies equally, even when enforcement is politically inconvenient and diplomatically fraught.
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