South African men trapped in Ukraine: A mother pleads for government intervention
Former president Jacob Zuma's daughter Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla has been accused of recruiting South Africans to fight on behalf of Russia in Ukraine.
Image: Tumi Pakkies / Indepedent Newspapers
As the political controversy about the 17 South African men trapped in the Ukraine conflict deepens, more harrowing accounts about their ordeal in Eastern Europe’s war have started to emerge.
A parent of one of the 17 men told The Mercury that she has not been able to sleep for weeks, while two men stranded in Ukraine spoke about their ordeal and their desire to return to their families. The mother said it came as a shock to her that her son was in a war zone.
The matter of these men has pitted former President Jacob Zuma’s children against one another. Nkosazana Bonganini Zuma Mncube has opened a criminal case against her sister Duduzile Zuma Sambudla, Siphokazi Xuma, and Blessing Khoza, identifying them as central in the trafficking of these men to Russia under false pretences.
Zuma Sambudla, it was reported earlier this week has denied all allegations and claimed that she is a victim in the matter.
In a telephonic interview, the mother said: “For the last two weeks, I have not had a wink of sleep. I did not know the conditions he was facing until two weeks ago when another parent called to inform me of what was really happening.” She asked that her name and that of her son be withheld in order to protect him.
“We are pleading with the South African government to intervene and bring them back. Once they get to this side, then they can be asked to account for what led them to that situation. What I know about their situation is that they are really not in a safe place.”
Speaking about the events leading up to the Russian trip, she said she was opposed to her son going there. “When he approached me and told me that an opportunity had arisen where they could go to Russia to train to become bodyguards, I refused. He said they would be there for a year. He was told about that opportunity by one of his relatives.
“He said they were told to keep the recruitment process a secret and not to speak about it,” she added. She said she only learned about her son's involvement in the war against Ukraine from one of the parents of the other men.
“She had questioned why I was so calm when things were bad. Since that call, I have not had one wink of sleep. We have learned they started raising concerns about the situation in the second week that they were there, saying what was happening was not what they had signed up for.”
She said while she had spoken to her son, the conversation is not detailed. “He just greets me and tells me that he is fine, and that is the end of the conversation on WhatsApp.”
One of the recruits, who identified himself as Sizwe Mthembu, posted a video on social media detailing how they ended up in a war zone.
“Siphokazi was the organiser of everything. We sent our passports to her because we knew that she was going to book flights for us. When we got to Russia, we had a serious problem; we were stuck in the airport for a very long time, not allowed in. A soldier came and let us in, and there was another one carrying a banner with 'MK' written on it. We saw that these were the people who had come for us.
“We travelled for two days without water or food. We were taken to a town where we were given contracts to sign. We refused to sign because these contracts were in Russian. Dudu arrived with Khoza; they said we must sign this as they are also doing it and she will stay there for a year. We saw her (Dudu) as someone we trusted; she also told us that she was sleeping in the mountains training, and Khoza said he was also there in 2023. So he knows this and we should not worry; this is training and we will be fine, so we signed.”
Mthembu said they proceeded to another town where they trained for 7 to 10 days, and then quickly moved to another area.
“We sat there for a month; that is when we started getting the feeling that what was happening was not what we had been told we were there for,” he said.
“And then it started; we saw people being selected, being taken somewhere only to never be seen again. We were put into groups; right now we are in Ukraine, but we are not together,” he said.
Another recruit Prince Mzobe from Durban said Xuma had told them they were going to Russia to train as special forces.
“We signed the wrong contracts as it was in Russian, they said it could not be translated because there was no internet connection. We are in serious trouble, we need help to get back home,” Mzobe said.