SAPS confirms Hawks investigation into Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla and others over alleged recruitment of 17 South Africans into Russia–Ukraine conflict
The South African Police Service (SAPS) has confirmed that the Hawks’ Crimes Against the State (CATS) unit is investigating MP Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla in connection with allegations that she helped recruit 17 South African men who are now stranded in the war zone in Ukraine.
The case was opened by her half-sister, Nkosazana Bonganini Zuma-Mncube, who filed an affidavit at Sandton police station. According to the complaint, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, together with Siphokazi Xuma and Blessing Khoza, allegedly lured the men to Russia under the promise of “security-guard training.”
Instead, the men claim they were handed over to a Russian mercenary group and deployed to fight in Ukraine’s Donbas region, without fully understanding the contracts they signed, which were reportedly written in Russian.
SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed that an enquiry docket has been registered and the matter escalated to the Hawks for further investigation.
Zuma-Mncube alleges that the recruitment may contravene several laws, including the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act, the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act, as well as general fraud.
Family members of the trapped men, many of whom come from KwaZulu-Natal, say they are desperate for their return. Thuthukile “Thuthu” Zuma, another sister, described the situation as deeply worrying: “They are desperate to come home and scared for their lives.”
The DA (Democratic Alliance) has called for accountability, warning that the incident exposes how South African youth could be exploited by foreign military interests.
This controversy comes as broader concerns rise over the recruitment of foreign fighters by both sides in the Russia–Ukraine war. The South African government has said it is pursuing diplomatic channels to bring the men home.
The Hawks investigation is ongoing, and no formal charges have yet been announced.
