Former president Jacob Zuma’s daughter Nkosazana Bonganini Zuma-Mncube has opened a criminal case against her sister Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla in connection with the 17 South African men who were allegedly lured to Russia and sent to fight in Ukraine without their consent.
Zuma-Mncube said she had laid charges at the Sandton police station on Saturday, and one of the people she was opening a case against was her sister.
“Driven by my moral obligation, I have opened a criminal case against Ms Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, Ms Siphokazi Xuma and Mr Blessing Khoza,” she said.
She alleged the trio may have contravened the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act, the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act and the common law crime of fraud.
“Having considered all the information available to me and the facts at my disposal, I believe these three individuals have contravened [these laws],” she said.
In a detailed statement, Zuma-Mncube said she was compelled to act after learning that of the 17 men who had pleaded for government assistance, eight were members of her own family.
“[As] a South African citizen and the first-born daughter of former president Jacob Zuma, I wish to address the matter of the 17 South African men who are trapped in the midst of the Ukraine-Russian War,” she said.
“These men were lured to Russia under false pretences and handed to a Russian mercenary group to fight in the Ukraine war without their knowledge or consent. Among these 17 men are eight of my family members,” Zuma-Mncube said.
Zuma-Mncube’s statement comes after the government confirmed last week it had received “distress calls” from the men, aged between 20 and 39, trapped in the Donbas region, which is the epicentre of the fighting.
According to the presidency, the group were “lured” with promises of lucrative work contracts before being recruited as mercenaries, though it did not specify which side they ended up fighting for.
Zuma-Mncube also urged the government to act swiftly.
“I urge the South African government to expedite all diplomatic efforts to secure the immediate and safe return of our citizens,” she said.
She warned the public to be vigilant and not fall prey to individuals offering “too-good-to-be-true opportunities” abroad, especially those involving travel to conflict zones.
Ukraine has repeatedly warned that African nationals are being targeted by Russian recruiters. Foreign minister Andrii Sybiga said last week that 1,436 African nationals from 36 countries had been identified among Russian ranks.
Ukraine’s former ambassador to Austria and now an envoy in South Africa, Olexander Shcherba, said he had been contacted by worried families.
“Ever since this news broke, I have received emails from family members of these young people who were lured to the frontline. And they were desperate. Don’t do that to your mothers and fathers and sisters,” he said.
Shcherba said he hoped South Africans would recognise the gravity of being drawn into a foreign conflict.
“We hope that the situation with Russia violating South African legislation and dragging or luring these people into this war will be an eye-opener for South African society.”
He described the targeting of South Africans as part of “a colonial war. Seeing Africans fighting a colonial war against a free country is especially insane”.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered an investigation into the recruitment of South Africans as mercenaries after reports claimed that the 17 men sent to Russia for “security training” were linked to the MK Party of former president Zuma.
It is illegal for South Africans to join a foreign army without authorisation from the government.
As the men’s families await updates, diplomatic efforts are under way to secure the group’s safe return from one of the most dangerous frontline zones in the world.
TimesLIVE
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