South Africa in talks with Russia over men ‘tricked’ into fighting in Ukraine

Original article by Rachel Savage in Johannesburg

South Africa’s government is in talks with Russia to bring home 17 South African men fighting for Russia in Ukraine, after the men were allegedly tricked on to the frontlines of the war by a daughter of former South African president Jacob Zuma.

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla has been accused in multiple lawsuits of luring the 17 South African and two Botswanan men to Russia in July, by telling them they would be training as bodyguards for her father’s uMkhonto weSizwe political party or attending a personal development course.

Vincent Magwenya, a spokesperson for South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, said: “The process to retrieve those young men remains a very sensitive process. They are in a dangerous environment. They are facing grave, grave danger to their lives and we are still in discussions with various authorities, both in Russia as well as in Ukraine, to see how we can free them from the situation they are in.

“In fact, the emphasis is more with the authorities in Russia and less so with the authorities in the Ukraine, because the information that we have is that they were bungled into the Russian military forces,” he said, in answer to a reporter’s question at a press briefing on Monday.

He said the engagements with Russia were ongoing and that the issue was “receiving the highest possible attention in our government”. Russia’s embassy in South Africa did not reply to a request for comment.

On 6 November, South Africa’s government said it had received distress calls from the men. Later that month, another of Zuma’s daughters, Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube, filed a police report alleging that Zuma-Sambudla and two others had deceptively recruited the men, who included eight of her family members.

Zuma-Sambudla filed her own police report, claiming she had been deceived by Blessing Khoza, another of those accused by her half-sister. She alleged he had tricked her into recruiting the men for what she had believed was a legitimate paramilitary training course that she herself had attended.

Khoza and Siphokazi Xuma, the third person accused of luring the men to Russia, could not be reached for comment.

On 5 December, at least 13 relatives and friends of the men protested outside Durban city hall, carrying signs with messages such as “Save Our Men. Home Is Where They Belong”, “Bring Our Men Home – End The War” and “Bring Them Back Alive. Bring Them Back Safe”.

An unnamed mother told the national broadcaster SABC: “What makes it worse is hearing what they are being put through. They are being ill-treated and slowly they are breaking down. They are pleading with us every day to bring them home. That’s all we want at this stage, for them to come back home alive.”

One mother told the Guardian she had not heard from her son since 27 August, when he called her to say he was being forced to sign a contract in Russian that he did not understand, but was worried he was being sent to the frontlines in Ukraine.