‘Jacob Zuma’s daughter resigns amid claims South Africans tricked to fight for Russia’ 28 November 2025

A daughter of the former South African president Jacob Zuma has resigned as an MP, after being accused of tricking 17 South African men into fighting for Russia in Ukraine by telling them they were travelling to Russia to train as bodyguards for the Zumas’ uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party. Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, 43, the most visible and active in politics of her siblings, volunteered to resign and step back from public roles while cooperating with a police investigation and working to bring the men home, the MK chair, Nkosinathi Nhleko, said at a press conference in Durban. Magasela Mzobe, another MK official, told reporters: “As far as we know, the resignation has got nothing to do with admission of guilt or the organisation finding her guilty,” adding that MK party had not been involved with the group of men who ended up trapped on the frontline of the war in Ukraine.

…Zuma-Sambudla said she went to Russia herself for a month of the training, in excerpts from her statement to police published by local media: “I experienced only non-combat, controlled activities. I was never exposed to combat, never deployed.” She claimed that she had “shared information innocently” with others, who then volunteered to go to Russia themselves. She added: “I would not, under any circumstances, knowingly expose my own family or any other person to harm.” The South African outlet News24 said it had received videos from three of the men trapped in Ukraine, in which they alleged Zuma-Sambudla persuaded them to sign contracts in Russian that they did not understand and said she would spend a year in Russia training alongside them.

…On Tuesday, police confirmed they were investigating, after receiving both affidavits. Zuma-Sambudla did not return calls and messages seeking comment. Khoza and Xuma could not be reached for comment. On 6 November the office of South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, said it was investigating how the men became trapped in eastern Ukraine and was working to bring them home, after receiving “distress calls for assistance”.