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Olugbemi. Adeyinka Ogunleye
1 day ago
Overview
Daughter Of Former SA President Accused Of Tricking Men Into Fighting For Putin
South African police are investigating allegations that a daughter of the former president Jacob Zuma tricked men into fighting for Russia in Ukraine by telling them they were travelling to Russia for a paramilitary training course.
Another of Zuma’s daughters, Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube, filed a police report on Saturday alleging that her sister Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla and two others, Siphokazi Xuma and Blessing Khoza, had recruited 17 men who are now trapped on the frontlines of the war in Ukraine.
A copy of Zuma-Mncube’s statement shared by South Africa media outlets read: “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, who are requesting the South African government for assistance, are eight of my family members.”
Zuma-Mncube accused the three of breaking laws against people trafficking, providing assistance to foreign militaries and fraud, saying she was “driven by moral obligation”. A spokesperson for the South African police service confirmed they had received the statement.
Thandi Mbambo, a spokesperson for the Hawks serious crime unit, which is now handling the case, said: “Investigation in this matter is still at an early stage, with the docket received only Sunday, so there is nothing much to report except that investigation is under way.”
The South African news outlet News24 said it had received videos from three of the South African men trapped in Ukraine, in which the men alleged Zuma-Sambudla had persuaded them to sign contracts in Russian that they did not understand and said she would spend a year in Russia training with them.
Zuma-Sambudla has now filed charges against Khoza, claiming she was duped into recruiting men for what she thought was a legitimate training programme, according to the local media outlet Daily News.
Mbambo confirmed the Hawks had also received allegations from Zuma-Sambudla, but would not confirm their contents. Zuma-Sambudla did not respond to a request for comment. Xuma and Khoza could not be reached for comment.
