In a dramatic political development, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of former president Jacob Zuma, has relinquished her parliamentary seat. Her resignation comes amidst a high-profile police investigation into allegations that she played a central role in recruiting South African men to fight alongside Russian forces in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The scandal, which has ensnared the family of the influential political leader, alleges that seventeen citizens were dispatched to Russia under fraudulent circumstances and are now reportedly stranded on the Ukrainian frontlines.
The serious crime unit of the South African Police Service, known as the Hawks, confirmed it had received a formal case dossier, initiating an investigation that could lead to severe charges, including human trafficking and providing material support to a foreign military. The allegations were formally set in motion by an unlikely source: Zuma-Sambudla’s own sister, Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube. In a police statement filed in late November, she asserted that the recruited individuals were systematically deceived about the nature of their travel.
According to the official complaint, the men were persuaded to journey to Russia under the guise of participating in a paramilitary training programme, which they were told would qualify them to serve as bodyguards for the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, led by their father, Jacob Zuma. Crucially, the recruits were allegedly instructed to sign contractual documents written entirely in Russian, a language none of them comprehended. Disturbing video testimony from some of the men now in Ukraine suggests that Zuma-Sambudla provided personal assurances, even claiming she would undergo a year of training in Russia alongside them.
In her defence, Zuma-Sambudla has presented herself as a fellow victim of a sophisticated deception. She contends that she was an unwilling participant, misled into believing she was facilitating a legitimate, non-combat training course. She has stated that she personally travelled to Russia for a month, during which she participated in what she understood to be controlled training activities, entirely separate from the theatre of war. In a countermove, she has filed her own criminal charges against one of the other named individuals in the case, Blessing Khoza, alleging he was the primary architect of the scheme.
The political ramifications have been immediate and significant. Zuma-Sambudla’s resignation from parliament was announced at a press conference shortly after the police investigation became public. However, a senior official from the MK party was quick to contextualise the departure, stating, “As far as we know, the resignation has got nothing to do with admission of guilt or the organisation finding her guilty.” This suggests an effort to contain the damage to both the party and the Zuma political brand.
The human cost of the affair remains the most pressing concern. Seventeen South African nationals, including eight relatives of the whistleblower Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube, find themselves in an acutely perilous situation, allegedly coerced into a conflict they never agreed to join. Their plight now necessitates delicate diplomatic intervention from the South African government to secure their safe repatriation. As the Hawks continue their probe, the scandal exposes not only deep familial rifts but also the shadowy and far-reaching consequences of international proxy wars, implicating South African citizens on a distant and deadly battlefield.