Five South Africans have appeared in court following allegations of recruiting individuals to fight in Russia’s ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Zuma-Mncube reported these attacks to the police on November 22. She alleged that Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, Siphokazi Xuma, and Blessing Khoza were part of a conspiracy to recruit 17 men.
Zuma-Mncube’s findings tell us that these men had been duped. They had expected to receive training as bodyguards for the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) military wing of the ANC. Of these eight, seven are either currently or formerly related by marriage to former President Jacob Zuma. This troubling link brings the question of celebrity involvement in this possible recruitment conspiracy to the fore.
For her part, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla seemed to publicly accuse Khoza of duplicitous behavior. Like all of these young people, she thought she was signing up to help defend a good cause. She disclosed that she had gone through such training in Russia herself for a month’s duration.
The arrested suspects, from left to right, Nonkululeko Mantula, Thulani Mazibuko, Xolani Ntuli, Siphamandla Tshabalala and Sfiso Mabena. Mantula is a 39-year-old national radio presenter and host of the Morning Bliss show on SAfm. Co-chair of the Brics Journalists Association, she’s one of a small number of media moguls worldwide, which makes her a powerful player in the media ecosystem.
The president Cyril Ramaphosa’s office is currently looking into how these men got and got stuck in eastern Ukraine. In doing so, they are laying the groundwork for getting the men home to South Africa as soon as possible. South African legislation expressly forbids any citizen from being in contact with, or supporting any foreign military force in any manner. You need to get federal approval to do it.
Our initial investigation has revealed that a South African woman was actively promoting the travel and recruitment of people into the Russian Federation military. This state of affairs led to very serious harms.
This case has raised serious alarm over the Brics Journalists Association (BJA). Critics have accused the BJA of promoting an array of pro-Russian narratives and misinformation under the guise of operating as an independent media outlet.
“The BJA has been used as a vehicle to disseminate pro-Russian narratives and disinformation under the guise of independent journalism, including fake content originating from the Storm-1516 information manipulation set.” – EU’s sanctions tracker
Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla stepped down from her role as an MK MP shortly after the allegations surfaced. As this saga continues, law enforcement will be eager to learn how this recruitment occurred. They will take a deeper look into the possible legal ramifications for all parties.