Bloomberg News has identified Duduzile Zuma Sambudla, daughter of former president Jacob Zuma, as the individual allegedly involved in the recruitment of 17 South African men who were later sent to Ukraine’s Donbas region to join Russian forces.
Zuma Sambudla is already facing legal trouble in the Durban High Court, where she is on trial for allegedly inciting the widespread unrest that followed her father’s imprisonment in 2021. The riots claimed more than 350 lives and caused an estimated R20 billion in damage.
Bloomberg’s investigation indicates that the group of men were approached several months ago with promises of travelling to Russia for security training.
They were reportedly told they would return to take up positions with the uMkhonto weSizwe party, and that Zuma Sambudla had completed the same programme.
When the men arrived in Russia, they were issued documents in Russian which they believed were related to their training. They later discovered that the forms were military contracts.
As they began to realise they were being deployed to a combat zone in Ukraine, they contacted Zuma Sambudla for clarity and questioned why their bank cards and phones had been taken.
She is said to have reassured them that they were not being sent to the front and that their duties would be limited to support roles. She also allegedly told them that she would intervene if they were moved into active combat.
Fearing for their safety, the men reached out to the South African embassy for assistance. Their plea initially raised concerns that they were acting as mercenaries, something prohibited under South African law.
Officials later learned that the group believed they had been recruited for employment rather than military service and were trying to escape the situation.
Zuma Sambudla and the uMkhonto weSizwe party have not responded to the allegations.
The incident follows another recruitment scam uncovered three months ago, when young South African women were enticed to Russia with the promise of work opportunities.
They later discovered they were expected to carry out munitions related tasks for the Russian military. Influencers involved in promoting those opportunities have since apologised.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation has urged the public to be cautious about overseas job offers that have not been properly verified.
Spokesperson Clayson Monyela warned that many schemes disguise dangerous or exploitative work as attractive opportunities and encouraged anyone unsure about an offer to seek advice from official channels.
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