Grieving KZN Wife Pleads for Husband’s Remains To Be Brought Home From Russia

• A KwaZulu-Natal mother is pleading for help to repatriate the remains of her husband, who allegedly died after being recruited to fight in Russia
• Ndwandwe says she received a call on Saturday confirming his death and is unable to afford burial or cremation arrangements abroad
• The family is seeking government assistance to bring him home so he can be buried in South Africa

KWAZULU NATAL —A mother of three from Umzinyathi District Municipality in Kranskop, KwaZulu-Natal, is pleading for government assistance to help repatriate the remains of her husband, who allegedly died while fighting in the Russia–Ukraine conflict.

The grieving woman, Sbonile Ndwandwe, says she lost the father of her children, Sihle Makhaye, after he was reportedly recruited by an agent to travel to Russia.

Ndwandwe has since reached out to KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma, for assistance in bringing her husband’s remains back to South Africa.

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Grieving widow speaks out

Ndwandwe said her husband was recruited by an agent and left for Russia with 13 other men on 24 December 2025. She says she does not have any further information about his deployment, as her husband kept her in the dark about some details.

“On Saturday, 28 March 2026, I received a call that said he had passed on,” she said.

Ndwandwe says the news left her devastated and confused, as she has had no direct communication with the alleged recruiter since her husband left the country. She explained that she tried to follow up using the contact number she has, but has not been able to reach the agent.

With no source of income, Ndwandwe says she sought help from her local councillor as she did not know how to proceed following the tragic news.

“I am unemployed, therefore I did not know what to do. I asked for assistance from the local councillor,” she said.

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The family has since been informed that any burial or cremation arrangements abroad would be their financial responsibility, something Ndwandwe says they simply cannot afford.

“They told me all financial responsibility for his burial or cremation abroad has to rest on the family. I do not have the financial ability to do so,” she explained.

Ndwandwe says her only wish is for her husband to be brought home and laid to rest according to Zulu customs.

“I wish the father of my children to be buried at home, with all our traditional rites as Zulus observed,” she said.

She also stressed the emotional toll on her children, who are struggling to come to terms with their father’s death.

“I am also pleading for my children who need closure, who need to see where he has been buried,” she said.

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MEC steps in to assist

Upon receipt of the matter, Ndabezinhle Sibiya, spokesperson for the MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma, said the MEC has instructed the Head of Department, Max Mbili, to assist the family and assess their situation.

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“The MEC is also engaging with national and international stakeholders, including the Department of International Relations and Cooperation led by Minister Ronald Lamola, to explore possible avenues for repatriation,” said Sibiya.

Duma has expressed his condolences to the family and assured them that government structures are working to provide support during this difficult time.

The Ndwandwe family says their only hope now is to bring Sihle Makhaye home so he can be laid to rest with dignity in South Africa.

Two men die in the Russian war

In related news, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) revealed that some of the men who fought in Donbas, Ukraine, have died. The identities of the men were not revealed, DIRCO Minister Ronald Lamola said the men were not part of the group trapped in Donbas, but must have been part of another recruitment scheme. Lamola also stated that not everyone who went to Russia to fight was lured.

Briefly News also reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa thanked Vladimir Putin for helping secure the return of South African men who were fighting on the frontline of the Russia-Ukraine war. In February 2026, Ramaphosa confirmed that four of the seventeen men had returned from Russia, while another 11 would be home soon. Ramaphosa stated that the other two would be at a later stage.

Source: Briefly News