South African ex-leader’s daughter quits Parliament over Russian mercenary allegations
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma He resigned as an MP after coming under police investigation for allegedly tricking 17 men into joining a Russian mercenary group fighting in the Ukraine war, his party said on Friday.
Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla had been serving as a member of parliament in the MK Party, the opposition party led by her father, since June 2024. Jacob Zuma founded the party in 2023. deportation From South Africa’s then-ruling African National Congress.
police says they are investigating Any role Zuma-Sambudla played in luring South Africans who were on the front lines of the conflict in Ukraine to Russia.
The South African government said it received a call for help from 17 South African men aged between 20 and 39 earlier this month. We’re stuck in Ukraine’s war-torn eastern Donbas region. The government said they thought they would land lucrative employment contracts when they left South Africa.
According to police, an affidavit filed by Zuma-Sambudla’s half-sister, Nkosazana Bonganini Zuma-Mncube, alleged that Zuma-Sambudla and two others had lured South Africans to fight in the war by promising to provide them with security training in Russia. The identities of the other two people are not yet clear.
The affidavit alleges the South Africans were handed over to a Russian mercenary group and forced to fight in the war. It is also stated that eight of the 17 people are from Zuma-Sambudla and Zuma-Mncube’s extended family.
South Africa’s foreign ministry and police are working with international law enforcement to repatriate the men, according to parliament’s foreign affairs committee.
MK party national chairman Nkosinathi Nhleko announced Zuma-Sambudla’s resignation at a press conference on Friday. He said Zuma-Sambudla had submitted a report to party officials regarding allegations that young South Africans were involved in military operations in Ukraine.
However, he did not disclose any details, citing the “sensitivity” of the situation. He also denied that the party had any role in sending South Africans to Russia. He said the party would contact the men’s families and “support them in their efforts towards the return of these young people.”
Zuma-Sambudla is currently on trial on unrelated charges relating to: Deadly anti-government riots in South Africa in 2021. He pleaded not guilty to inciting violence through social media posts.
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