Duduzile Zuma, daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, is facing accusations of recruiting young men from South Africa and Botswana to fight for Russia in Ukraine. According to a Bloomberg investigation, Duduzile, a South African parliamentarian, allegedly lured about 20 men to Russia in July with promises of bodyguard training for her father’s political party, uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) .
However, the men were tricked into signing military contracts written in Russian and were sent to the front lines, with some losing contact with their families since August. Relatives claim Duduzile assured them their children wouldn’t be sent to the front, but WhatsApp messages reveal she told one recruit, “It’s not the frontline. They are just scaring you” .
President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered an investigation into the allegations, stating that working as a mercenary or fighting on behalf of another government has been a crime in South Africa since 1998. Duduzile has not publicly responded to the allegations and is currently on trial for inciting violence on social media in 2021 .
Families of the missing men demand urgent intervention, while civil society organizations urge Parliament to act swiftly .
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