Families of 17 South African men trapped in Ukraine welcome government repatriation efforts
Ukrainian soldiers sitting in a car in Dnipropetrovsk region earlier this year. Families of South African men who were allegedly lured to Russia to fight in the Russia-Ukraine conflict are hoping they will return home soon.
Image: File image: AFP
Families of the South African men stuck in the Ukraine conflict have welcomed the government’s efforts aimed at returning their relatives home.
At least three families told The Mercury yesterday that they had recently met with government officials who assured them that it had begun preparatory work to return the South African men who were lured to the Ukraine conflict under false pretences. Some other families, however, said they were not aware of any action being taken by the government to bring their loved ones home and briefly spoke of their disappointment at spending the festive season without them.
At least 17 South African men are said to have been lured into the conflict through false promises of training in Russia as security detail; instead, these men found themselves in the Ukrainian-Russian conflict, fearing for their safety. Since these men left, the only contact they have had with their families has been through WhatsApp conversations.
Two daughters of former president Jacob Zuma are at loggerheads over the matter. One daughter of the former president, Nkosazana Bonganini Zuma-Mncube, has opened a criminal case against her sister, Duduzile Zuma Sambudla, accusing her of playing a role in luring the men to Russia.
Some of the men have made public statements that Zuma Sambudla had claimed she would be part of the supposed training, which gave them hope that this was a legitimate opportunity. Zuma Sambudla has also been forced out of parliament by the MKP due to the debacle. She has claimed that she was duped into this scheme by another person who is also implicated in the recruiting scheme.
The families, speaking on condition of anonymity, said while no promises had been made with regard to bringing their loved ones back, they were hopeful but added they were traumatised by the situation.
One relative was in tears as she spoke of being without family members and knowing they are in mortal danger. She said three of her relatives are in this conflict. She said the information she has received is that two of the men have been injured; one has apparently lost a leg after stepping on an explosive that blew up.
“He had his leg amputated below the knee but was still in pain and it had to be amputated again above the knee. Another man was also injured in some explosion; I do not know how bad that is, but I know that he underwent an operation that lasted for eight hours. I have been trying to find out from the other men there but have not been able to reach them either. Do you know the pain of sending a WhatsApp message and you see that there is only one tick (message sent) and there is no second tick that shows that the message has been received? You keep hoping the second tick will appear. The pain I am feeling is unimaginable and I will never forget.
“What makes this even more painful is that the person who has done this to us is our relative; the person is a blood relative. I am poor, but this person is a blood relative who has caused me this much pain,” she said, breaking down in tears during the telephonic interview.
Another family member stated, “Yes, there is progress on the matter. We recently engaged with the government, but I am not in the right space at the moment to speak about it in detail.”
Another relative elaborated, “We recently met (Zoom meeting) with the Minister of International Relations as well as the Ambassador to Russia. They informed us that an investigation has been launched into the matter and they are starting to engage with the Russian government.
“While they said they are working to bring our relatives home as soon as possible, they did not promise anything; that is all I can share on the matter,” he said.
However, another family member said they have not been informed about any developments in the matter. “The situation is like it was before; we have not heard anything. We last spoke to our relative on Thursday; we were speaking on WhatsApp, and I do not know how he is doing.”
Speaking on the trauma of spending the festive season without her family, she said, “The situation is what it is; there is nothing that we can do about it.”
Attempts to speak to the Department of International Relations and Co-operation were unsuccessful yesterday.