Former South African President’s Daughter Alleges Sibling Orchestrated Russian Enlistment Scheme

South African authorities announced Sunday they are examining accusations that a daughter of former president Jacob Zuma participated in enlisting individuals to serve with Russian mercenary forces in the Ukrainian conflict.

The accusations targeting Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, a parliamentary member representing her father’s MK political organization, emerged from a sworn statement submitted by her sibling requesting an official probe, according to police officials.

The document alleges Zuma-Sambudla collaborated with two additional persons in recruiting 17 South African nationals whom the presidential office disclosed earlier this month it had been petitioned to extract from Ukraine’s battle-scarred Donbas territory.

The statement contends these individuals “were deceived into traveling to Russia through misrepresentation and transferred to a Russian mercenary organization for combat deployment in the Ukrainian conflict without their awareness or approval.”

A specialized police division handling offenses against state security has received the matter to establish applicable criminal charges.

In early November, the presidential office revealed it had been approached to repatriate the 17 individuals purportedly “stranded” in Donbas following their recruitment “through promises of profitable employment agreements.”

South African media accounts suggested the individuals were reportedly dispatched to Russia for security instruction by the opposition MK party, currently led by Zuma, who served as president from 2009 through 2018.

South African law prohibits citizens from enlisting in foreign military forces without governmental authorization.