Bloomberg: Daughter of Former South African President Recruited Africans to Fight Against Ukraine
The daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma deceived Africans into joining the Russian army to fight against Ukraine.
Bloomberg reported this, citing its own sources.
According to the journalists, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, who is a member of South Africa’s parliament, recruited men from South Africa and Botswana.
Around 20 young men traveled to Russia in July 2025. She told them they would attend “security guard training courses” and later work for her father’s political party, their relatives said. Zuma also claimed she had completed the same training herself.
The relatives explained that the young men unknowingly signed military contracts written in Russian, believing they were signing paperwork for security-guard courses.
Later, it became known that they were sent to the front line in Ukraine. In August, their relatives lost contact with them.
Bloomberg journalists obtained photos showing Africans traveling to Russia and later standing in military uniforms alongside instructors.
The parents of some of the recruits showed WhatsApp messages they exchanged with Duduzile Zuma. She told them that their children would not be sent to the front.
One of the recruits wrote to Zuma: “As we speak, we are packing our things and getting ready to be sent to the combat zone.” He also asked why his bank cards and phone had been taken away.
Zuma replied, “This is not the front line. They are just trying to scare you.” She added that the new recruits would “just be patrolling, cooking food, or cleaning weapons.” Zuma also promised she would “personally” come and take the men back if they were sent to the front. Duduzile Zuma, as well as officials from South Africa and Russia, did not respond to journalists’ requests for comment.
The daughter of the former President of South Africa is currently on trial on charges of treason for inciting violence after her father’s arrest in 2021. He had been jailed for contempt of court. During the unrest that followed, 350 people were killed.
In early November, South African authorities launched an investigation into the recruitment of South African citizens into the Russian army to participate in the war against Ukraine. The government stated that 17 South Africans who ended up in occupied Donbas after joining the Russian invasion forces had asked for assistance.
