Pretoria, South Africa –
Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former President Jacob Zuma and current MKP MP, is under investigation for allegedly recruiting young South African men to fight in Ukraine on Russia’s frontlines, Bloomberg reports.
According to relatives and reported WhatsApp messages, around 20 men were lured with promises of military training linked to Zuma-Sambudla’s father’s political party. They traveled to Russia in July but, unable to read the contracts, were sent directly to fight in the Donbas region and lost contact with their families by August.
The alleged recruitment violates South African law prohibiting citizens from participating in foreign military operations. The government has launched a probe and is facing mounting pressure to facilitate the return of the affected men, whose families claim their pleas for assistance have been largely ignored.
The case has raised questions about accountability, political influence, and the enforcement of national laws regarding foreign military involvement.
