Jacob Zuma’s daughter resigns amid claims South Africans tricked to fight for Russia | South Africa

The daughter of former South African president Jacob Zuma has resigned as an MP after being accused of luring 17 South African men into fighting for Russia in Ukraine by saying they would travel to Russia to receive bodyguard training for the Zumas’ uMkohnto weSizwe (MK) party.

MK president Nkosinathi Nhleko said Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, 43, the most visible and active in politics among her siblings, had volunteered to resign and withdraw from public duties while cooperating with the police investigation and working to bring the men home. press conference In Durban.

Another MK official, Magasela Mzobe, told reporters: “As far as we know, the resignation has nothing to do with the admission of guilt or the organization finding him guilty.” He added that the MK party had no involvement with the men trapped on the front lines of the war in Ukraine.

On November 22, another of Zuma’s daughters, Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube, lodged a police report alleging that her sister Zuma-Sambudla and two others, Siphokazi Xuma and Blessing Khoza, had recruited men, including eight family members. In her statement to the police, Zuma-Mncube did not provide any justification for her sister’s alleged recruitment into the army.

Zuma-Sambudla later submitted her own affidavit, claiming she was “the victim of deception, misrepresentation and manipulation” by Khoza after the men were recruited for a legitimate paramilitary training course.

In excerpts from her statement to the police, Zuma-Sambudla said that she personally went to Russia for a month of training. published by local media: “I have only experienced non-combat, controlled activities. I have never been exposed to combat, I have never been deployed.”

He later claimed that he “innocently shared information” with others who volunteered to go to Russia. He added: “Under no circumstances will I knowingly harm my own family or another person.”

News24 from South Africa said that this news was received videos of three men They claimed that Zuma-Sambudla, who was stranded in Ukraine, persuaded them to sign contracts in Russian they did not understand and that he would spend a year training with them in Russia.

MK chairman Zuma was at the press conference but did not speak. The 83-year-old has been married six times and currently has four wives and more than 20 children. Polygamy reputed through a law regulating “traditional” marriages in South Africa.

Zuma was deposed as South Africa’s president in 2018 after being accused of overseeing a period of massive corruption known as “state capture”, allegations he has always denied. He founded MK in December 2023 and received 14.6% of the vote in the 2024 national elections.

On Tuesday, police confirmed they were investigating after taking both statements. Zuma-Sambudla did not respond to calls and messages seeking comment. Khoza and Xuma could not be reached for comment.

On November 6, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa’s office said it was investigating how the men became stranded in eastern Ukraine and was working to bring them home after receiving “distress calls for help.”

The report stated that the men were “persuaded to join mercenary forces participating in the Ukrainian-Russian war under the pretext of lucrative employment contracts” and noted that South Africans are not allowed to aid or fight for foreign armies without government permission.

Zuma-Sambudla has consistently broadcast her support for Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin online. “We Love You Loudly and Unapologetically So…I’ll Drink to This” Published on Xfollowed by Twitter with a photo of his father and Putin toasting on February 22, 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine. it in may Published on X: The words “I Stand With Russia” appeared next to photographs of the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, but it is not clear whether he took the photographs or when they were taken.

South Africa’s African National Congress Party, which forced Zuma to step down as president in 2018, has long been close to Russia after the Soviet Union backed the fight against apartheid. The South African government, now in a coalition but whose foreign policy is still controlled by the ANC, has refrained from criticizing Russia for invading Ukraine. He attempted to present himself as an impartial arbiter in the search for a peace agreement.

Zuma-Sambudla is on trial on charges of inciting violence in her posts on X during the deadly riots that erupted in 2021 when her father was sent to prison for contempt of court. He denied the allegations.