Jacob Zuma's daughter Duduzile under probe for alleged recruitment of fighters for Russia
Zuma-Sambudla has consistently denied the allegations, with her lawyer calling the case weak and her family labeling it a politically motivated attack on her father.
South African police have opened a criminal case against Duduzile Zuma, one of former President Jacob Zuma’s daughters, over allegations that she helped send a group of young men to fight for Russia in its war in Ukraine under false pretences.
The complaint was filed by Nkosazana Zuma-Ncube, who accuses her sister Duduzile of recruiting about 20 men earlier this year with promises of training as bodyguards for their father’s political party.
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The group reportedly left for Russia in July, but their families say they were given documents they could not read and were later sent into military operations. By August, the men had reportedly stopped communicating altogether.
South African police have announced investigations to determine whether Duduzile Zuma and her co-accused unlawfully recruited the men to fight in Ukraine, with potential charges to be decided once the inquiry is complete.
The case comes amid growing scrutiny over how South Africans ended up in conflict zones abroad. President Cyril Ramaphosa recently ordered a broader inquiry after officials revealed that 17 citizens stranded in the Donbas region had sought government assistance in November.
Duduzile Zuma has long drawn attention for her outspoken support for Russia, including posts praising President Vladimir Putin. She is also facing a separate court case tied to the country’s violent unrest of 2021.
Prosecutors say she used social media to incite the violent July 2021 protests that erupted after her father was arrested for defying a court order to testify in a corruption inquiry. The week-long unrest left at least 300 people dead and caused an estimated $2.8 billion (Sh361.5 billion) in damages.
She faces charges of incitement to commit terrorism, public violence, and violating the Riotous Assemblies Act, which prohibits gatherings intended to provoke riots.
Zuma-Sambudla has consistently denied the allegations. Her lawyer has described the case as weak, while her family has labelled it a politically motivated attack against her father.
“The state’s case rests on a bizarre premise: that her social-media posts during July 2021 somehow 'incited' unrest. In truth, her posts were reactive commentaries on events already unfolding, as millions of South Africans expressed anguish and frustration at the unlawful imprisonment of a liberation hero,” said the Jacob Zuma Foundation in a statement.
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