Duduzile Zuma-Sambudra resigns as South African MP over Russian mercenary recruitment scandal

The daughter of former South African president Jacob Zuma has resigned as an MP after being accused of tricking 17 men into working as mercenaries in Ukraine.

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, who became an MP for the main opposition party UMkhonto weSizwe (MK) last year, said in an affidavit that she believed the men were traveling to Russia for “legitimate” training.

MK said she decided to resign because she wanted to focus on ensuring people trapped in Ukraine’s war-torn Donbass region return home.

The brother of one of the men, who has been speaking out in despair about his situation, told the BBC the family wanted accountability and his safe return.

“What you see in the movies, we see live,” the 40-year-old said in a message shared with the BBC by his family.

The BBC has withheld his identity for his safety and has referred to him as Sipho and his brother in South Africa who tried to help secure his return as Xolani.

“He lives in fear because he doesn’t know what the future holds and what will happen to him when night falls because they are always in a war zone,” Solani said, adding that Zuma-Sambudra’s resignation means nothing to the family, whose father now leads MK.

“She just wants to save the reputation of her father’s party… The family wants accountability and the return of those who were deceived into fighting for Russia.”

The BBC heard a voice note sent by Seaver in which he said he was recruited by two people, one of whom was Zuma-Sambudra.

“They (the so-called recruiters) even bought us plane tickets to fly here (Russia),” Seaver said in one of the voice recordings. Zuma-Sambudra denied deliberately misleading anyone and said she was “deeply shocked”, adding that she herself had been a victim of deception and manipulation.

Xolani said his brother left South Africa on July 8 thinking he would be trained as an MK bodyguard.

The party has distanced itself from the controversy.

“State officials have accepted Comrade Duduzile Zuma-Sambudra’s decision to resign and support her efforts to ensure that these young South Africans return safely to their families,” MK chairman Nkosinati Nleko told a press conference on Friday.

MK was founded in 2023 and named after the now-defunct military wing of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), which was fighting South Africa’s racist apartheid system.

Former President Jacob Zuma, a long-time member of the African National Congress, broke away from the organization to form the South African National Party to contest last year’s parliamentary elections after a massive dispute with his successor, Cyril Ramaphosa.

The sister of another South African trapped in Donbass told the BBC that her brother was recruited for MK’s “counterintelligence” and “bodyguard” training – which he did because he was unemployed.

He did not expect that he would be on the battlefield under Russian command.

“They were treated like slaves, told what to do and threatened if they didn’t cooperate,” she told the BBC.

Solani added that when the group – including his brother – arrived in Russia, they received contracts to sign, but “unfortunately” the contracts were written in Russian, which they did not understand.

According to Solani, the group then sought help from Zuma-Samboudra and another recruiter he named.

The two then traveled to Russia, which Xolani said convinced the team to sign the contract because they “trusted them.”

In a voicemail to his family heard by the BBC, Siever said he was taken to Ukraine along with others in early August. Then they were separated and he was one of those who finally reached Donbastonetsk.

“(We are) close to the front line, about 10 kilometers (six miles) away,” Sipho said in a voice message.

In video screens shared with the BBC in a WhatsApp group used by some, the men expressed their anguish over their actions in a war zone.

One of the members wrote in the group: “We were told to go to a safe place but instead we went deeper into a bad place. When we got here they (sic) were hit by drones 3 times.”

Another said: “If anything happens guys…until next time.”

At some point, a contact named “Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla” was added to the WhatsApp group.

The woman tried to allay the men’s fears, calling on them to “hang in there, we’re doing everything we can”.

The BBC contacted the number but no one answered. We then sent a WhatsApp message to the number whose profile picture contained an image of Zuma-Sambudla.

The former MP submitted an affidavit to police after her half-sister Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube accused her of tricking South Africans into joining the war.

On Tuesday, South Africa’s elite police force, the Eagles, confirmed that two women had opened a police case.

The Eagles did not reveal any details but said in a statement that “the two matters are being jointly investigated to determine whether any criminal conduct has occurred, including possible human trafficking, illegal recruitment, exploitation or fraud”.

The BBC has seen a copy of Zuma-Sambudra’s affidavit, which was unsigned but was widely reported in local media.

“I am not a recruiter, agent, operator or facilitator of any illegal activity,” she said.

The BBC has also seen a statement given to police by Zuma-Mcube, saying her half-sister and the two men she named lured 17 South Africans to Russia “under false pretenses” and “handed them over to Russian mercenary groups to fight in the war in Ukraine without their knowledge or consent”.

“Among the 17 men who requested assistance from the South African government were eight members of my family,” Zuma-Mkubi said in a statement.

Zuma-Sambudra revealed in her affidavit that she herself received non-combat training in Russia, which was arranged by a man she said she did not know until he contacted her.

She said in the affidavit that she “innocently shared (this) information with others, including family members,” when he suggested recruiting more people for what she believed was a similar program.

“Under no circumstances would I knowingly put my own family or anyone else in harm’s way,” the congressman added in the affidavit.

She said it was “deeply shocking and distressing to me” to discover that people had been tricked into joining the war.

“I myself am a victim of deception, distortion and manipulation,” Zuma-Sambudra added in the affidavit.

Earlier this month, the South African government confirmed it had received distress calls from 17 South African citizens trapped in Donbass who had been lured into joining mercenaries with the promise of high-paying contracts.

One of the voices heard by the BBC claimed that 24 South Africans were initially tricked into traveling to Ukraine, but three were taken back to Russia because they were deemed unwell.

Another voicemail said a South African who had been forced to stay in Ukraine had been injured, possibly by shrapnel, and his current whereabouts were unknown.

A report by financial news agency Bloomberg said some were also recruited from neighboring Botswana.

The South African government has been tight-lipped about the situation since issuing a statement earlier this month. It has promised to bring them back through “diplomatic channels” but this has yet to happen.

With his brother still trapped in the war zone, Xolani spoke of his family’s anguish.

“We probably didn’t hear from him for five days because he was away on military duty. The family was worried about his life,” he said.

Meanwhile, in voice communications with his family, Seaver kept repeating his appeal: “It’s tough here… We all (just) want to go home.”