Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, has resigned from parliament amid allegations that she recruited 17 South Africans to fight as mercenaries in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Her resignation, effective immediately, follows a police investigation into claims that she lured the men under false promises of security training. The men, aged 20 to 39, reportedly ended up on the front lines in Ukraine’s Donbas region. Authorities say eight of them are members of Zuma-Sambudla’s extended family.
Zuma-Sambudla had served in parliament since June 2024 for the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, an opposition group founded by her father after his expulsion from the African National Congress in 2023.
“The national officials have accepted comrade Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla’s decision to resign and support her efforts to ensure that these young South Africans are brought back safely to their families,” MK Party Chair Nkosinathi Nhleko said at a press conference.
The party emphasized that Zuma-Sambudla’s resignation was voluntary and not an admission of guilt. MK also stated it was not involved in recruiting the men to Russia but would assist their families. Zuma-Sambudla attended the news conference but did not comment publicly.
The investigation began after Zuma-Sambudla’s half-sister, Nkosazana Bonganini Zuma-Mncube, submitted an affidavit alleging that Duduzile and two other individuals misled South Africans by promising security training in Russia, only to hand them over to a Russian mercenary group. Authorities are still investigating the identities of the other two alleged co-conspirators.
South African officials confirmed they received distress calls from the men stranded in Ukraine and are working to secure their safe return. Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the government is investigating how the recruits were misled and who was involved.
The case comes amid broader international concern over foreign fighters in Russia’s war. Ukraine reports that Moscow has recruited at least 18,000 fighters from 128 countries, with nearly 3,400 foreign combatants killed. Jordan recently condemned Russia for recruiting its citizens after two Jordanians were killed while fighting.
Zuma-Sambudla, a controversial political figure, is already facing terrorism-related charges linked to the 2021 unrest in South Africa, which resulted in hundreds of deaths. She has pleaded not guilty, denying wrongdoing and claiming her social media posts did not incite violence.
The investigation into the recruitment of South Africans to fight in Ukraine is ongoing, and authorities have promised to work quietly to return the stranded men safely. The case has drawn attention to the risks faced by foreign nationals lured into combat and the political implications for the Zuma family in South Africa.
