South Africa’s government says it is holding sensitive talks with Russian authorities to secure the return of at least 17 South African men who were allegedly misled into joining Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, a case that has ignited political controversy and renewed scrutiny of foreign recruitment on the African continent.
Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the men are believed to be in grave danger after being drawn into Russian military units, adding that Pretoria’s efforts are focused primarily on engagement with Moscow rather than Kyiv.
“The process to retrieve those young men remains extremely sensitive,” Magwenya told reporters at a briefing Monday. “They are in a dangerous environment, facing serious risks to their lives, and discussions with Russian authorities are ongoing at the highest level.”
The government has said it received distress calls from the men on Nov. 6, triggering diplomatic intervention. Recruiting or assisting foreign military forces without government authorization is illegal under South African law, officials have noted.
Allegations Against Zuma’s Daughter
The case centers on allegations that Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, a daughter of former South African president Jacob Zuma, helped lure the men to Russia under false pretenses. Multiple lawsuits and police complaints accuse her of telling the recruits they would either receive bodyguard training for Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) political party or participate in a personal development program that could lead to education opportunities and citizenship in Russia.
The Guardian first reported that the group included 17 South Africans and two Botswanan nationals who traveled to Moscow in July via Dubai. Screenshots of WhatsApp groups titled “JHB-Russia Team” and “MK/Russia Mission,” shared with the newspaper by Democratic Alliance lawmaker Chris Hattingh, appeared to corroborate relatives’ accounts that the men later discovered they had been placed with Russian military units operating in eastern Ukraine.
One group member told The Guardian that he was with the Wagner group in the Donetsk region, contradicting earlier assurances that the recruits would not be sent to the front lines.
Zuma-Sambudla has denied knowingly exposing anyone to harm. In an affidavit cited by South African media, she said she herself had been deceived by another alleged recruiter, Blessing Khoza, into believing the program was a legitimate paramilitary training course. She later resigned as an MK member of parliament. Khoza and another accused recruiter, Siphokazi Xuma, could not be reached for comment.
Families’ Anguish and Public Protests
Relatives of the men say communication has been sporadic and distressing. One mother, identified only as Mary to protect her family’s identity, told The Guardian she last heard from her son on Aug. 27, when he said he was being forced to sign a Russian-language military contract he did not understand.
“He was worried he was being sent to the frontlines,” she said. “Since then, it’s been silence.”
On Dec. 5, relatives and friends of the men staged a protest outside Durban City Hall, carrying signs calling for their safe return. An unnamed mother told South Africa’s public broadcaster SABC that the men were being mistreated and were “breaking down,” pleading daily to come home.
Political Fallout and Broader Context
The allegations have reverberated across South Africa’s political landscape, in part because of the Zuma family’s prominence and the country’s long-standing ties with Russia. The African National Congress, once led by Jacob Zuma, maintained close relations with Moscow dating back to Soviet support during the anti-apartheid struggle. Zuma later deepened those ties as president and was instrumental in South Africa joining the BRICS bloc in 2010.
Zuma-Sambudla has publicly expressed support for Russia, including a social media post on the day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. She is separately facing trial on charges of inciting violence related to unrest following her father’s imprisonment in 2021, charges she denies.
The scandal has also highlighted South Africa’s dire youth unemployment crisis, with more than 40% of people under 35 not in work or education, according to official figures. Analysts say such economic pressure has made young men particularly vulnerable to recruitment schemes promising opportunity abroad.
International Implications
Ukraine’s foreign minister said last month that more than 1,400 citizens from African countries are fighting alongside Russian forces, urging governments to warn their nationals against recruitment. In a separate case, five South Africans appeared in court on Dec. 1 on charges linked to recruitment for Russia’s war effort.
Magwenya said there was “no update” on when the stranded men might return. Russia’s embassy in South Africa and Botswana’s foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
For families, the wait continues. “For someone they trusted to assure them they were not going to war, and then let them down like this,” Mary told The Guardian, “is something I will never understand.”
