Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, has resigned from parliament after facing serious accusations. According to her political party, the Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, she allegedly helped lure 17 South African men into joining Russian forces in the Ukraine war.
Zuma-Sambudla was serving as an MK lawmaker, a party led by her father. On Friday, MK officials announced that she stepped down voluntarily. Her resignation from the National Assembly and all public positions took effect immediately.
MK’s national organiser, Nathi Nhleko, told reporters that the party had no connection to the recruitment of the men. He also stressed that Zuma-Sambudla’s resignation should not be seen as proof of guilt. However, he added that MK would work to support the families of the affected young men.
Although Zuma-Sambudla attended the press briefing, she remained silent and has not publicly addressed the accusations, including those made by her half-sister.
Earlier this month, the South African government revealed that 17 citizens were stranded in Ukraine’s Donbas region after being tricked into fighting for mercenary groups. They were promised high-paying jobs but ended up in a war zone. Authorities are now working to bring them home and investigate how they were recruited.
On Sunday, police confirmed they would begin investigating Zuma-Sambudla after her half-sister filed a formal complaint against her and two other individuals.
The situation reflects a larger issue affecting the continent. Ukraine’s foreign minister recently reported that more than 1,400 Africans from over 30 countries have been recruited to fight alongside Russian forces. He urged African nations to warn their citizens about such schemes.
The story continues to develop as investigators look into the allegations and efforts intensify to return the stranded South Africans home safely.
