Ramaphosa Thanks Putin for Release of 17 South Africans Lured Into Ukraine War
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- Ramaphosa thanked Putin for helping secure the return of 17 South Africans who were allegedly tricked into joining mercenary forces in the Russia-Ukraine war, after the two leaders spoke on 10 February
- Four of the men returned home on Friday, 11 others are expected 'on their way home soon,' and two remain in Russia — one hospitalized in Moscow and one awaiting travel processing
- The recruits believed they were going to Russia for bodyguard training but were given contracts written in Russian and deployed to the front line in Ukraine, according to relatives who spoke to the BBC
- Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, has been named as the alleged recruiter — an allegation she denies, saying in an affidavit she believed the men were going for 'lawful' training
- Zuma-Sambudla was forced to resign as an MP over the scandal in late November, after her half-sister Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube filed a criminal complaint accusing her of tricking South Africans into joining the war
- South African police arrested five people in a separate case in December — including a radio presenter with the country's public broadcaster — on charges related to recruiting men for the Russian military; the five were released on bail and trial has not yet started
Why it matters: Mercenary recruitment for the Russia-Ukraine war is illegal in South Africa without government authorization, meaning the 17 men — and the alleged recruiters, including a sitting MP's daughter and a public broadcaster presenter — face potential criminal exposure at home. The case has also pulled Ramaphosa into direct diplomacy with Putin, underscoring how the Ukraine conflict is now generating bilateral fallout in Africa.
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