Daughter of former South African president resigns after being accused of recruiting countrymen for war

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, has resigned from parliament over allegations that she lured 17 men to fight for Russia in the war against Ukraine. This was reported by the agency Reuters with reference to the party's statement.

Zuma-Sambudla was a member of parliament from the opposition party Umkonto ve Sizwe, which is led by her father. Representatives of the political force stated that she resigned voluntarily and that her dismissal from the National Assembly and all other public positions was effective immediately.

The party claimed no involvement in the recruitment of men for war. At the same time, they added that the resignation was not an admission of guilt and promised to support the men's families.

"National officials have accepted Comrade Duduzila Zuma-Sambudla's decision to resign and supported her efforts to ensure that these young South Africans are safely returned to their families," the political party said.

The woman was present at the briefing but did not respond to the accusations.

Earlier, the South African government reported that 17 of its citizens are stuck in the Donbas after they were deceived into fighting for Russia under the pretext of lucrative labor contracts. Authorities have assured that they are working to bring them home and are investigating how they got there.

On Sunday, police said they would launch an investigation into Zuma-Sambudla after her half-sister formally filed a complaint against her and two others, accusing them of involvement.

Zuma served as President of South Africa from May 2009 to February 2018.

• On August 22, 2025, it became known that the South African government conducts investigations into Russian companies the company is a member of the BRICS cooperation initiatives, which hire women from the country.
• On October 10, it was reported that South Africa was investigating how made in the country electronic equipment ended up in Russian drones used by the aggressor country for attacks.