Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of South African former President Jacob Zuma, has stepped down from Parliament. Her resignation comes at a moment when police are probing claims that she played a part in deceiving 17 South African men into travelling to Russia and ending up in the Ukraine war.
Zuma-Sambudla, who entered Parliament in June 2024 on the ticket of the MK Party created by her father in 2023, had been serving on the opposition benches.
The allegations now facing her come from a troubling saga that began when the men, aged 20 to 39, contacted the South African government earlier this month seeking rescue from the war-ravaged Donbas region. Officials said the group believed they were departing South Africa for well-paid work, not a battlefield.
Investigators are looking into whether Zuma-Sambudla was involved in facilitating their travel. According to police, the case was triggered by an affidavit filed by her half-sister, Nkosazana Bonganini Zuma-Mncube. In it, she alleged that Zuma-Sambudla and two unidentified individuals promised the men security training in Russia but instead handed them over to a Russian mercenary outfit. The affidavit further states that eight of the 17 men were members of the extended Zuma family.
Authorities say international law enforcement agencies have now joined South Africa’s foreign ministry and police in attempts to evacuate the stranded group. Parliament’s foreign relations committee has also been briefed on the effort.
MK Party national chairman Nkosinathi Nhleko announced Zuma-Sambudla’s resignation at a press conference, revealing that she had submitted a report to party leaders on the matter. He withheld its contents, saying the issue’s “sensitivity” required caution. Nhleko, according to AP’s report, insisted the party had no role in sending the men to Russia and added that officials would reach out to affected families, promising to “support them in their efforts for the return of these young people.”
The controversy adds to Zuma-Sambudla’s rising legal pressures. She is already facing trial on separate charges linked to South Africa’s deadly 2021 unrest, where prosecutors accuse her of inciting violence through social media posts. She has pleaded not guilty.
