Zuma Family Rift: Daughter Accused of Luring 17 South Africans to Fight for Russia

Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube, the eldest daughter of former South African president Jacob Zuma, has filed a criminal complaint alleging that her half-sister, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, and two others recruited 17 South African men who now say they were deceived into fighting in Ukraine.

According to Ms Zuma-Mncube, the men were told they would travel to Russia for bodyguard training and return to serve in the protection unit of the Mkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party. Instead, the recruits say they were asked to sign contracts written in Russian, received only rudimentary military instruction, and were transferred to front-line positions in the Donbas region.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) confirmed that a criminal case has been opened alleging the men were lured to Russia under false pretences. SAPS said the recruits were allegedly handed over to a mercenary group and forced to fight without their informed consent; any formal charges will depend on the outcome of the investigation.

Ms Zuma-Mncube told reporters she felt a "moral obligation" to lodge the complaint because several of the men are relatives. There was no immediate response from Ms Zuma-Sambudla, who is already facing separate treason charges over social media posts that prosecutors say helped incite the violent unrest in 2021 following their father's jailing; she denies those charges.

Political context

The dispute has heightened interest across South Africa, spotlighting a prominent political family. Jacob Zuma served as president from 2009 to 2018 and was widely accused of presiding over a period of "state capture," in which allies allegedly exerted undue influence over state bodies for personal gain. He denied wrongdoing, was removed from office by the African National Congress (ANC), and later briefly jailed for refusing to testify at a national inquiry.

After leaving the presidency, Mr Zuma founded the MK party, which captured nearly 15% of the vote in the most recent election and weakened the ANC's dominance. Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla is a member of parliament for the MK party.

Wider concerns and next steps

The case echoes other reports of Africans being deceived with false job offers, promises of high pay, or forged documents and recruited to fight for Russian forces. Ukraine has estimated that around 1,400 African nationals may be serving with Russian forces, with many reportedly killed in the conflict.

Relatives of the 17 men say they initially sought help from MK party leaders and later appealed to the national unity government. A letter, reportedly sent by Jacob Zuma in September to Russia's defence minister, Andrey Belousov, described the recruits as "misled" and requested that their contracts be cancelled; there is no suggestion Mr Zuma was aware of or involved in the alleged recruitment.

The SAPS investigation will determine whether criminal charges are laid. The matter raises urgent questions about the exploitation of vulnerable recruits and the responsibilities of recruiters and political actors when citizens are drawn into foreign conflicts under false pretences.