Name: South Africans tricked into fighting Russias war in Ukraine
Uploaded: 2025-12-06T15:07:36.889Z
Duration: 2 min 56 s
Description: A scandal over the recruitment of soldiers sent to fight in the Russia-Ukraine conflict is growing in South Africa. At the center of the scandal is one of the daughters of former president Jacob Zuma.

A scandal over the recruitment of soldiers sent to fight in the Russia-Ukraine conflict is growing in South Africa. At the center of the scandal is one of the daughters of former president Jacob Zuma.

Russian forces have invaded Ukraine from land, air and sea with strikes causing widespread damage. Global leaders have condemned the move and imposed sanctions.

Ukraine Invasion

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of ex-president Jacob Zuma, has been accused of recruiting young South African men to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war, in violation of South African law. The allegations, brought forward by her half-sister, led to Zuma-Sambudla's resignation from parliament and have prompted a police investigation, with Zuma-Sambudla denying any wrongdoing and agreeing to cooperate.

The South African government confirmed that at least 17 men have been taken to Russia since July, reportedly under false pretenses of employment. In a separate case, five individuals have been arrested for similar recruitment activities, all facing charges under the Foreign Military Assistance Act. Authorities are continuing their investigations to determine any links between the cases.

South Africans tricked into fighting Russia's war in Ukraine

The daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, accused of recruiting young men to fight in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. South African law prohibits citizens from fighting for foreign armies without government authorisation. The accusation has resulted in Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla stepping down from her position as Member of Parliament in the Mkondowe-Sizwe party. The party, headed by Jacob Zuma, is the third largest in South Africa and is the official opposition to the governing coalition. The person accusing Zuma-Sambudla is her own half-sister. Nkosazana Zuma-Ngube has laid an official complaint with police and alleges that at least eight of her own family members were taken to Russia. Zuma-Sambudla denies tricking the men into fighting in Russia and has agreed to cooperate with the police investigation. The South African government has confirmed that at least 17 men were taken to Russia since July. They are believed to be fighting as part of Russian forces in the Donbass region, a key territorial target for Russia. The men's families have told local media that they were tricked into joining the conflict with promises of bodyguard jobs in the MK party. Jacob Zuma has long had ties to Russia, having travelled to the country on several occasions for medical treatment. DW has seen a letter purportedly written by Zuma in which he tries to negotiate the release of the men. In the letter, Zuma says the party facilitated the journey of 18 men to Russia to receive advanced military training. He asks that the men be withdrawn from the combat zone. The party has distanced itself from the scandal. In a separate case, another five people have been arrested in a similar recruitment scandal. Two of the group are believed to have been recruiters while the other three were allegedly on their way to Russia. They all face charges of contravening the regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act. There are certain processes that need to be followed and those were not followed. The group will apply for bail on the 8th of December. Police are still investigating whether the two matters are linked.

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South Africans tricked into fighting Russia's war in Ukraine

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Ukraine Invasion