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One of the daughters of former South African president Jacob Zuma has resigned as an MP, after being alleged of deceiving seventeen citizens into serving for Russia in Ukraine by telling them they were travelling to Russia to prepare as security personnel for the Zumas’ uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party.

Stepping Down Statement

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, 43, the most visible and active in politics of her siblings, offered to resign and step back from public roles while cooperating with a law enforcement inquiry and striving to bring the men home, the party chairman, Nkosinathi Nhleko, stated at a media briefing in Durban.

Magasela Mzobe, informed the media: “As far as we know, the resignation has got no connection to accepting responsibility or the party finding her guilty,” adding that MK party had not been involved with the group of men who found themselves stranded on the frontline of the war in Ukraine.

Police Reports

Late last month, a different daughter of Zuma, Zuma-Mncube, submitted a legal complaint claiming that her sister Zuma-Sambudla and two others, Xuma and Khoza, had enlisted the men, comprising eight of their family members. She did not suggest a motive for her sister’s supposed enlistment in the declaration she made to police.

Zuma-Sambudla then submitted an sworn statement of her own, asserting she was “subjected of trickery, misrepresentation and manipulation” by the recruiter after the men were recruited for what she had understood was a authorized security preparation program.

Training Experience

Zuma-Sambudla stated she traveled to the country herself for a four weeks of the instruction, in excerpts from her testimony to police: “I experienced only non-military, controlled activities. I did not encounter warfare, never deployed.”

She claimed that she had “shared information innocently” with individuals, who then volunteered to go to Russia themselves. She continued: “Under no circumstances would I, intentionally endanger my own family or any other person to danger.”

Media Reports

A local news source News24 reported it had obtained videos from three of the men stranded in Ukraine, in which they claimed Zuma-Sambudla convinced them to sign contracts in the local language that they did not understand and said she would remain for twelve months in Russia training with them.

Political Context

Jacob Zuma, MK party’s president, was at the press conference but did not speak. He has been wed on multiple occasions and currently has four wives and more than 20 children. Multiple marriages is accepted in South Africa via a regulation governing “customary” marriages.

The former president was ousted as South Africa’s president in 2018, after being charged of overseeing a period of huge corruption known as “state capture”, allegations he has consistently refuted. He established MK party in late 2023, securing a significant portion of the vote in the recent polls.

Ongoing Inquiry

Earlier this week, police confirmed they were investigating, after obtaining both statements. The former MP did not respond and communications requesting comment. Khoza and Xuma could not be contacted for comment.

Earlier last month the administration of South Africa’s president, the current leader, said it was examining how the men became stranded in eastern Ukraine and was making efforts to bring them home, after receiving “distress calls for assistance”.

Enlistment Claims

The men “were lured to join private military groups involved in the ongoing conflict under the false promise of lucrative employment contracts”, it said, adding that South Africans were not allowed to support or fight for overseas armies without official approval.

Online Activity

She has consistently posted her support for Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin, online. “We Love You Both LOUDLY And UNAPOLOGETICALLY So … I celebrate this” she wrote on the platform, then Twitter, with a image of her father and Putin celebrating, on 22 February 2022, the day Russia invaded Ukraine. In May, she published: “I Stand With Russia,” with photos of the cultural site in St Petersburg, although it was not clear if she had captured the images herself or when they were taken.

Political Relations

South Africa’s African National Congress party, which forced Zuma to stand down as president in 2018, has long been allied to Russia after the Soviet Union backed its fight against apartheid. South Africa’s government, whose foreign policy is still guided by the party although it is now in a partnership, has avoided from condemning Russia for invading Ukraine. It has tried to present itself as a impartial mediator in the pursuit for a peace deal.

Legal Proceedings

The individual is on legal proceedings on charges of inciting violence in posts on X, during deadly riots that erupted in 2021 when her father was imprisoned for defying judicial orders. She has denied the allegations.