The Democratic Alliance (DA) this week formally laid criminal charges against MK Party MP and daughter of former president Jacob Zuma, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, for her alleged central role in recruiting and trafficking young South African men into the Russian war effort in Ukraine.
The charges, filed under the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act 15 of 1998, are backed by explosive new evidence that has transformed what were previously unsubstantiated allegations into a concrete criminal case.
The DA say they have obtained approximately 100 WhatsApp messages from a group allegedly administered by Zuma-Sambudla, revealing what officials describe as “clear coordination in luring at least 22 men to Russia under false pretences.”
According to the evidence, the men were promised personal development opportunities, security training, and even Russian or Canadian citizenship. They were told they would have a “new life” abroad. Instead, families report their sons found themselves trapped in an active warzone.
The DA’s evidence their passports and clothing were burned, their phones were confiscated, and communication with families was gradually cut off until it ceased entirely.
“One mother said her son was ‘excited for a new life’ and believed he would return with foreign citizenship, only to find himself trapped in a warzone,” the DA statement revealed. The systematic cutting of communication and destruction of identity documents constitutes clear indicators of trafficking and coercion, according to the charges.
One mother said her son was ‘excited for a new life’ and believed he would return with foreign citizenship, only to find himself trapped in a warzone.
Of the 22 men who initially travelled to Russia, 19 remain trapped, including 17 South Africans, now reportedly deployed in a “red zone” in North Donetsk as part of Russian forces. Only three were returned early due to family connections to “Madiba”.
The revelations have sparked a major foreign policy crisis for the ANC government. The DA has accused the administration of dangerous silence and potential complicity, stating that “Defence Intelligence and DIRCO remained publicly silent until today, despite indications that both the Presidency and former President Jacob Zuma were aware of the situation.”
While Defence Minister Angie Motshekga has now confirmed that the State Security Agency is liaising with the Russian government, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation continues to offer no public explanation for its handling of the crisis.
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The DA warned that the government’s “silence can only be interpreted as tacit support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” describing this as “dangerous foreign policy ambiguity” that is already straining relations with South Africa’s major trading partners. The party stated that trading partners “increasingly view the ANC’s political proximity to Russia as a growing security risk.”
This scandal raises profound foreign policy concerns about South Africa’s strict prohibitions on mercenary recruitment and the government’s response to violations of these laws.
These new charges come as Zuma-Sambudla is already fighting terrorism-related charges over her alleged role in inciting the deadly July 2021 riots. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges, with the riots having claimed over 350 lives and caused R50 billion in economic damage.
