By Segun Martins-
Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, has bene forced to resign from parliament after being accused of helping lure 17 South African men to fight for the Russian military in Ukraine, her party announced on Nov. 29.
Zuma-Sambudla, a lawmaker in the Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) party led by her father, stepped down from the National Assembly and all public roles “with immediate effect.” . MK officials said her resignation was voluntary and not an admission of guilt.
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Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla’s resignation on Friday comes after police said she was under investigation for her alleged role in luring South Africans to Russia. The police announcement came after a group of men aged 20 to 39 ended up on the front lines of the conflict in Ukraine, having been deceived there under the guise of lucrative employment contracts.
The decision for police to investigate Zuma-Sambudla came after her half-sister made a formal request for the probe into her and two other people.
According to police, an affidavit submitted by Zuma-Sambudla’s half-sister, Nkosazana Bonganini Zuma-Mncube, alleged that Zuma-Sambudla and two other people tricked the South Africans into fighting by promising to provide them with security training in Russia. The identities of the other two people were unclear.
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The men transferred from South Africa and Botswana to Russia were reportedly told they were being sent for bodyguard courses linked to MK. Instead, they were later presented with military contracts written in a language they did not understand and were soon unreachable by relatives.
Photographs reviewed by Bloomberg showed the men in camouflage uniforms undergoing combat training with Russian instructors. Relatives shared messages with journalists in which Zuma-Sambudla assured families that the men would “not be sent to the front line” and claimed she would “personally pull them out” if that happened.
South African law prohibits its citizens from serving as foreign mercenaries, but reports suggest a number of its nationals have succumbed to deals by unscrupulous agents to contravene its ordinances.
Ukrainian authorities say more than 1,500 foreign mercenaries from over 48 countries are fighting alongside Russian forces and have urged governments to strengthen prevention measures, the Kyiv Independent news outlet reported.
Zuma-Sambudla had served as a member of parliament since June 2024 for Mkhonto weSizwe (MK), an opposition party created by her father in 2023 following his expulsion from South Africa’s then-governing African National Congress.
“The national officials have accepted comrade Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla’s decision to resign and support her efforts to ensure that these young South Africans are brought back safely to their families,” the MK Party’s national chairperson, Nkosinathi Nhleko, told a news conference.
MK officials said Zuma-Sambudla’s resignation was voluntary and that her departure from the National Assembly and all other public roles was effective immediately.
The MK’s Nhleko also said that the party was not involved in luring the men to Russia and that Zuma-Sambudla’s resignation was not an admission of guilt, but added that MK would help support the families of the men stranded in Ukraine.
MK national organizer Nathi Nhleko said at a press conference that the party had no role in sending the men abroad, but would support their families, adding that Zuma-Sambudla’s priority was ensuring the men’s safe return.
Zuma-Sambudla attended the press conference but did not speak, and has not publicly addressed the allegations.
South Africa’s government said earlier this month that 17 citizens were stranded in Donbas Oblast after being tricked into fighting for Russian mercenary units, and that authorities were working to repatriate them.
Ukrainian authorities have warned that more than 1,500 foreign mercenaries from 48+ countries are currently fighting alongside Russian forces, urging governments to step up prevention efforts.
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