Men trapped in Ukraine war promised MKP jobs

MK party says it knows nothing about the ill- fated Russian trip involving 17 South Africans

- Lunga Mzangwe

The brother of one of the 17 South Africans stuck in the frontline of the Russia-Ukraine war says his sibling was lured there with promises to get trained for a job as a bodyguard of top officials in Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party.

The family member, who has been in contact with his brother via phone since he travelled to Russia with 16 others on 8 July, told the Mail & Guardian this week that his sibling had told relatives he expected to get training for a year, building on the experience he had as a bodyguard to several senior politicians and business people.

The men were allegedly told by Zuma’s daughter Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla and her associates Siphokazi Xuma and Blessing Khoza that once they returned to South Africa, they would guard some of the senior executives in the MK party.

“What is intriguing is that all those who are there have basic firearm training. They didn’t want people without firearms basics, which is why their training only took a few weeks,” said the family member, who declined to be named for fear this would expose the identity of his brother and put his life at risk.

“My brother does have experience guarding principals, and two of the men there are former bodyguards of Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, so these are people who know how to handle a firearm.”

On Sunday, Zuma-Sambudla’s half sister Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube opened a criminal case against her, Xuma and Khoza at the Sandton police station in Johannesburg.

Zuma-Mncube said the three had lured the 17 men to Russia nearly five months ago under false pretences and handed them over to a Russian mercenary group to fight in the Ukraine war without their knowledge or consent.

In a media statement afterwards, Zuma-Mncube said she was related to eight of the 17 men, who are now pleading for help from the South African government.