Did ex-South African President Zuma’s daughter recruit for Russia’s war?

A girl of South Africa’s erstwhile president, Jacob Zuma, connected Friday resigned arsenic a lawmaker aft explosive allegations that she tricked 17 South African men into joining a Russian mercenary radical to combat successful Ukraine.

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, who joined parliament successful 2024 nether her father’s absorption uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, is officially nether a constabulary investigation, but she denies allegations of involvement.

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South African constabulary revealed aboriginal past week that the investigations into Zuma-Sambudla’s relation successful the lawsuit were prompted aft her fractional sister, Nkosazana Bonganini Zuma-Mncube, filed an affidavit accusing the person of trafficking South African men into warring connected the beforehand lines of the Russia-Ukraine warfare with promises of lucrative occupation offers.

The ungraded has exposed heavy rifts successful the salient Zuma family. Like her father, whose medication was racked with corruption scandals, Zuma-Sambudla is simply a arguable fig successful South African politics. Earlier, successful November, Zuma-Sambudla appeared successful tribunal implicit a abstracted lawsuit wherever she is accused of having helped incite the  2021 riots that near much than 350 radical dead.

Here’s what we cognize astir the latest ungraded involving the Zumas:

FILE – Former South African President Jacob Zuma speaks arsenic his girl Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, right, listens, during a quality league successful Soweto, South Africa, December 16, 2023 [Themba Hadebe/AP]

What happened?

South African constabulary revealed connected November 24 that Zuma-Sambudla, 43, was being investigated successful transportation with the forced recruitment of 17 South African men into a Russian mercenary group. The investigations came aft Zuma-Mncube filed an affidavit against her sister. Zuma-Mncube claims to beryllium the erstwhile president’s eldest girl of astatine slightest 20 children from six wives. The existent authorities of the narration betwixt the sisters is unclear.

Zuma-McNube’s affidavit, filed connected November 22, alleged that Zuma-Sambudla, alongside 2 others, lured the 17 men to Russia connected claims that they would person yearlong information grooming and past instrumentality to South Africa. But the men were handed implicit to a Russian mercenary radical and were sent to combat successful Russia’s warfare connected Ukraine instead, the affidavit continued. At slightest 8 of the 17 men were members of the Zuma family, it added.

The affidavit listed the different 2 accused arsenic Siphokazi Xuma and Blessing Khoza.

In a connection past week, Zuma-Mcnube said the 3 individuals had violated respective South African laws relating to trafficking, providing overseas subject assistance without authorities consent, and fraud.

“Driven by my motivation obligation, I person opened a transgression lawsuit astatine the Sandton Police Station,” Zuma-Mcnube said, urging that the South African authorities should “expedite each diplomatic efforts to unafraid the contiguous and harmless instrumentality of our citizens”.

A begetter of 3 told The New York Times helium received a telephone telephone successful July from idiosyncratic who identified themself arsenic Zuma-Sambudla to articulation a yearlong grooming programme successful Russia aft which helium would person a occupation moving successful information for the MK party. The antheral said six weeks aft arriving successful Russia, his trainers amazingly gave him subject fatigues, and helium was sent to the beforehand lines of the warfare successful Ukraine’s Donbas region.

Another South African antheral who said helium was connected the beforehand lines successful Ukraine told the BBC that Zuma-Sambudla and different recruiters had bought him tickets to question from South Africa.

South African officials said earlier connected November 6 that they received distress signals from 17 South Africans aged betwixt 20 and 39, who were asking to beryllium removed from the beforehand lines successful Ukraine. Sixteen of the men were from the KwaZulu-Natal province, Zuma’s location region, portion 1 was from the Eastern Cape. President Cyril Ramaphosa directed the constabulary to analyse the case.

Speaking connected the sidelines of the G20 Leaders’ Summit successful Johannesburg past week, Foreign Minister Richard Lamola said South Africa was talking to Russian and Ukrainian authorities to repatriate the trapped men.

“The constabulary indispensable analyse and whoever is progressive successful this indispensable beryllium arrested,” Lamola said, adding: “It is not an casual concern due to the fact that they are [on] the beforehand lines of this battle, but we are hopeful that determination volition beryllium breakthroughs.”

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the girl of erstwhile South African President Jacob Zuma, appears successful tribunal connected charges of coercion successful Durban, South Africa, November 11, 2025. She pleaded not blameworthy to terrorism-related charges astatine the commencement of her proceedings [Stringer/EPA]

Who are the 5 radical who person been charged?

Five radical person been charged this week successful narration to the alleged recruitment of men for the Russian military, according to South African police. Authorities said they responded to a tip-off arsenic the radical of 5 tried to permission the state connected a formation from OR Tambo International Airport to Russia via the UAE. South African constabulary accidental they are not yet treating this lawsuit arsenic linked to the allegations against Zuma-Sambudla.

Among the 5 accused is salient vigor big Nonkululeko Patricia Mantula, 39, who works with the country’s nationalist broadcaster, SAFM. The different 4 were men aged betwixt 21 and 46, officials said, and Mantula was “facilitating the question and recruitment” of the men into Russia, the constabulary said.

All present look charges of violating a South African instrumentality banning overseas subject assistance. A tribunal acceptable their adjacent quality connected December 8 for a bail application.

What does South African instrumentality accidental astir overseas wars?

It is simply a transgression to service successful a overseas subject without support from the country’s National Conventional Arms Control Committee, according to South Africa’s 1998 Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act. 

Authorisations whitethorn beryllium denied if the requests are recovered to struggle with South Africa’s obligations nether planetary instrumentality oregon if they volition effect successful the infringement of quality rights and cardinal freedoms successful the territory successful which the overseas subject assistance is to beryllium rendered.

The aforesaid enactment besides bans mercenary activities entirely. South African residents oregon citizens are explicitly forbidden from recruiting, training, financing, oregon participating successful mercenary activities.

Violating the instrumentality could pull a dense fine, imprisonment, oregon both.

South Africa’s constitution besides prohibits trafficking. It prohibits forced labour, arsenic does the 1997 Basic Conditions of Employment Act.

Police authorities person not officially charged Zuma-Sambudla with a crime. Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe told The Associated Press quality bureau that immoderate constabulary charges “are inactive to beryllium determined done a thorough investigation”.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, South Africa expert Sanusha Naidu said the lawsuit was not apt to impact Russia-South Africa relations, which person go stronger successful caller years nether President Cyril Ramaphosa. Both countries are portion of the BRICS and G20, some informal economical groupings of emerging powers often seen arsenic an alternate to exclusive Western groups similar the G7.

“I don’t deliberation that the narration is going to beryllium immoderate antithetic present than successful the past conscionable due to the fact that you person mercenaries who person been recruited by 1 idiosyncratic linked to the MK party,” she said. “[The recruitments] contravene our interior legislations, truthful it’s not going to displacement the relations from wherever it is now.”

In October 2024, an AP probe recovered that young African women were being lured to enactment astatine the Alabuga Special Economic Zone successful Russia’s Tatarstan region, wherever immoderate helped nutrient subject people drones. Several African governments – including South Africa successful August – person issued warnings to women, asking them to beryllium cautious of overseas enactment schemes.

Kenyan authorities, successful September, said they rescued much than 20 radical from a suspected trafficking ringing that had intended to lure them to combat successful the Ukraine warfare with promises of jobs successful Russia. Officials said immoderate 200 Kenyans are already warring for Russia.

What has Zuma-Sambudla said?

In a connection submitted to constabulary authorities past Monday, Zuma-Sambudla claimed she herself was a “victim” of the scheme, alleging that she had been deceived by a idiosyncratic called Blessing Rhulani Khoza, who she said contacted her connected WhatsApp with promises of lucrative information contracts successful Russia. The person said she travelled to Russia connected her ain and was exposed to “non-combat, controlled activities” which convinced her of the legitimacy of the scheme.

“Prior to this unsolicited message, I had nary relationship, acquaintance, oregon anterior cognition of this idiosyncratic whatsoever,” she wrote. Zuma-Sambudla claimed she again flew to Russia aft proceeding the men, including her household members, were sent to battle, and that she filed appeals with Russian officials and the South African embassy there.

“I shared accusation innocently. They chose to articulation connected their voluntary interest,” she added. “I would not, nether immoderate circumstances, knowingly exposure my ain household oregon immoderate different idiosyncratic to harm.”

Zuma-Sambudla had served arsenic a parliament subordinate for the MK enactment since June 2024. Her begetter founded the absorption enactment aft helium was dramatically expelled from the then-ruling African National Congress (ANC) connected allegations of misconduct. Zuma and President Ramaphosa, erstwhile adjacent allies, person been bitter governmental rivals successful caller years, and the MK is presently the largest absorption enactment successful parliament.

On Friday, MK enactment President Magasela Mzobe said astatine a media briefing that Zuma-Sambudla had resigned “to absorption connected helping families to instrumentality to loved ones”. Her resignation, Mzobe added, was not an “admission of guilt” oregon the effect of the organisation uncovering her blameworthy of immoderate wrongdoing.

Former President Zuma has not commented connected the case.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance party, a erstwhile absorption enactment that joined the ruling conjugation alongside the ANC since 2024, sued Zuma-Sambudla past Thursday, connected charges of quality trafficking and recruitment for mercenary activities.

The DA – which has agelong been against South Africa’s closeness with Moscow amid Russia’s warfare connected Ukraine – alleged it had entree to messages from a WhatsApp radical chat “administered” by Zuma-Sambudla, and claimed the Ramaphosa presidency and Zuma knew astir the recruitments.

The chats “show wide coordination successful luring astatine slightest 22 men to Russia nether the guise of ‘personal development’, ‘security training’, and adjacent promises of Russian oregon Canadian citizenship”, the enactment said.

The men’s passports were confiscated, their apparel burned, and their connection with families chopped disconnected erstwhile successful Russia, the DA said. Three men who had well-placed household connections were returned to South Africa, the enactment added.