Nkosazana Zuma Mncube, the eldest daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, has officially laid a criminal case of human trafficking and fraud against her sister Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla and two other individuals in connection to the case of 17 South African men trapped in the Ukraine conflict.
According to the police, Nkosazana Zuma Mncube filed an affidavit at the Sandton Police Station alleging that these 17 men were lured to Russia under false pretenses, promised lucrative jobs, but were instead handed over to a Russian mercenary group and deployed to fight in the Ukraine war without their knowledge or consent. Significantly, eight of the 17 men are reportedly relatives of Zuma Mncube, who stresses that none of them consented to being sent into a war zone.
The allegations implicate Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, alongside Siphokasi Xuma and Blessing Khosa, accusing them of recruitment activities that violate South Africa’s Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act, the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act, and common-law fraud provisions. The South African Police Service (SAPS) has confirmed that an investigation docket has been opened and the matter will be thoroughly investigated at the provincial level.
This case has ignited a serious rift within the Zuma family, bringing to light troubling accusations about illegal recruitment and human trafficking involving family members. The unfolding investigation will seek to clarify the circumstances under which these men were allegedly trafficked and coerced into armed conflict abroad, marking a significant and high-profile criminal case in South Africa.