Former South African leader’s daughter linked to recruitment of mercenaries for Russia Bloomberg investigation

The daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, Duduzile Zuma, has reportedly been involved in recruiting men from South Africa and Botswana to serve with Russian forces in the war in Ukraine, according to sources familiar with the matter and WhatsApp messages obtained by Bloomberg.

About 20 young men approached by Duduzile Zuma, who is a member of South Africa’s parliament, traveled to Russia in July under the impression that they would train as bodyguards for Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), according to the sources, which include relatives of some recruits. The men signed military contracts written entirely in Russian, were sent to the frontlines in Ukraine, and lost contact with their families by August, relatives said.

Some family members said the recruits believed they were signing up solely for a bodyguard training program. Photographs reviewed by Bloomberg show the group travelling to Russia and later dressed in camouflage alongside instructors. WhatsApp messages between the men’s parents and Duduzile Zuma, shared with Bloomberg, show her reassuring families that the recruits would not be sent to combat zones.

Working as a mercenary or fighting for another government has been illegal in South Africa since 1998.

These documents and messages surfaced two weeks after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered an investigation into the recruitment of South African citizens to fight as mercenaries for Russia. In a statement on November 6, Ramaphosa’s office said that 17 South Africans stranded in Ukraine’s Donbas region had contacted the presidency for assistance.

Duduzile Zuma has previously expressed support for Russian campaigns on social media, including posts on X supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin, photographs showing herself in Russia and her father with Putin, and posts critical of Ramaphosa. She is currently on trial for treason, charged with inciting violence on social media in 2021, when riots following her father’s imprisonment for contempt of court left around 350 people dead.

In one WhatsApp exchange, a recruit wrote, “As we speak now, we are packing and preparing to move to the war zone,” noting that his phone and bank cards were being taken away. Duduzile Zuma responded: “It’s not the frontline. They are just scaring you. What I know is that you will watch Russian soldiers go in and out of the red zone, and you may just patrol or be put on cooking duties or gun cleaning,” later promising she would personally retrieve them if sent to the front.

In the messages, Duduzile Zuma also told some recruits that she had previously attended the same bodyguard training course. “They will taunt you like they did with me,” she wrote. “But I trust and believe all will be well.”

By Tamilla Hasanova