Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla Accused of Recruiting South African Men To Fight in the Russia-Ukraine War

• Duduzile Zuma, the daughter of former President Jacob Zuma, has been implicated in the recruitment of South Africans to fight in Russia
• This was after a group of South Africans sent a distress call to the South African government, informing them that they were stuck in Russia
• Zuma-Sambudla has been accused of luring the men to Russia with the false promise of bodyguard work and training

Tebogo Mokwena, affiliated with Briefly News, covered local and international politics, political analysis, and interviews in South Africa for Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News during his 10 years of experience.

DONBAS, UKRAINE — Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla has been accused of recruiting South African men to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war on Russia's side.

According to Bloomberg, Zuma-Sambudla has been recruiting South Africans and Botswana nationals to fight for Russia. She allegedly approached a group of men who travelled to Russia. They were allegedly told that they'd be under the employ of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party. However, they signed contracts written in Russian and were sent to the front lines to fight.

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Zuma's relative speaks from Donbas

According to News24, one of Zuma's relatives was allegedly sent with the men who were recruited. He said that the military training programme was never a programme. He said they were sold and doubts he would return to South Africa alive. News24 also reported that Zuma sent a letter to the Russian Minister of Defence Andrey Belousov on 19 September. Zuma reportedly pleaded for the men to be removed from the combat zone.

Zuma alleged that they were misled by a former Russian soldier and were given only three weeks of training. Zuma said he was alarmed when he learned that they were being deployed directly to a combat zone and called for the Russian government to intervene.

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla in court

Zuma-Sambudla is currently on trial as she faces charges of treason relating to her alleged role during the July 2021 unrest. Over 300 people died, and companies lost millions as looters in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal targeted shops and businesses after Zuma was incarcerated for contempt of court.

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During the trial, a fraud examiner testified and said that Zuma-Sambudla's texts during the unrest incited fear. Sarah-Jane Trent testified that she opened a case against Zunma-Sambudla because she was expecting her to act like a leader, as people looked up to her for leadership.

164 WhatsApp groups used during unrest

In a related article, Briefly News reported that the court heard that 164 WhatsApp groups were allegedly used to coordinate attacks during the July 2021 unrest. The trial took place at the Durban High Court.

Zuma-Sambudla appeared on 10 November 2025, where she faced charges of terrorism and incitement to commit public violence. The Hawks' Limpopo head, Gopaul Govender, testified that 154 WhatsApp groups were used to direct events that caused chaos in the province and Gauteng during the unrest.

Source: Briefly News