By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Police in South Africa on Sunday said investigation will be launched to unravel the role of Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla a daughter of the country’s former President, Jacob Zuma and two others in luring 17 men to fight for Russia in its ongoing war in Ukraine.
The police had received a petition from Zuma-Sambudla’s half-sister, Nkosazana Bonganini Zuma-Mncube, urging authorities to investigate the matter.
The South African presidency said earlier this month that it would probe how the men, between the ages of 20 and 39 years, ended up joining mercenary forces after they sent distress calls for help to return home.
“Ms Mncube claims the men were lured to Russia under false pretences and handed to a Russian mercenary group to fight in the Ukrainian war without their knowledge or consent,” police said in a statement.
According to the police source, an enquiry docket has been handed over to the specialised police unit, Hawks, for further investigation.
Zuma-Sambudla, a member of the parliament with her father’s uMkhonto we Sizwe party, already faces separate charges linked to public violence during deadly unrest in 2021.
Earlier this month, Kenya said over 200 of its nationals are fighting for Russia in Moscow’s war in Ukraine, confirming Kyiv’s position that Moscow relies on external assistance to prosecute the war that broke out since 2022.
Kenya added that recruiting agencies are still actively working to lure more Kenyans into the conflict.
“Recruitment exercises in Russia have reportedly expanded to include African nationals, including Kenyans,” Kenya’s ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement.
