South Africa’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party — the political home of former president Jacob Zuma — is once again under the spotlight. This time, it’s not because of election results or internal battles, but because of a disturbing scandal involving young South African men sent to Russia and Ukraine under questionable circumstances.
At the heart of it is a family feud within the Zuma dynasty itself: Jacob Zuma’s daughter, Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube, has publicly accused her half-sister, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, of luring men into what turned out to be frontline combat in the Russia–Ukraine war.
The allegations have sparked a Hawks investigation, raised serious concerns about human trafficking and illegal foreign military recruitment, and deepened existing tensions inside the MK Party.
So, who is Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube?
Nkosazana is one of Jacob Zuma’s daughters, less publicly known than her older half-sister Duduzile, but now thrust into national attention after coming forward with an explosive criminal complaint on Sunday. Families of several missing young men approached her after they lost contact with their sons, believing she could help escalate the issue.
What she uncovered, according to her affidavit, shocked even her: men from Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal who thought they were travelling overseas for “bodyguard training” ended up in Russian-controlled military zones in Ukraine.
Nkosazana filed charges under South Africa’s anti-trafficking legislation, foreign military assistance laws, and fraud statutes. She says she felt compelled to speak publicly because families were desperate, some receiving panicked phone calls from the battlefield.
Her decision to name her own half-sister, Duduzile, has turned an already messy political story into a very personal one.
The men who were sent to Russia and Ukraine
The group caught up in this nightmare consists of 17 to 20 young South African men, mostly aged between 18 and 40, and almost all from KwaZulu-Natal. At least six are blood relatives of the Zuma family (including cousins and other close kin of Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube), while the rest are ordinary MK Party members and supporters, many of them unemployed and lured by the promise of steady work.
These are not seasoned fighters or mercenaries by choice; they are everyday lads from townships and rural areas, some with young children back home, who saw the Russia trip as a rare chance to escape poverty. Recruiters targeted MK branches directly, framing the programme as elite “bodyguard training” that would eventually bring good money and status.
Leaked WhatsApp messages between the men and their desperate families paint a grim picture. The recruits say they were forced to hand over cash, sometimes thousands of rands, to cover the cost of a “Russian boat” (whatever that was supposed to be), to pay for Russian passports they never wanted, and even to buy plane tickets for the next batch of recruits waiting in South Africa.
Phones and bank cards have been confiscated, leaving them cut off. Trapped in the Donbas, about 10km from the frontline in Wagner uniforms, they now realise they were never trainees, but rather forced as disposable infantry.
The Hawks’ Crimes Against the State unit has now opened a formal investigation.
Where does Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla fit in?
Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, 32, is the twin daughter of Jacob Zuma and one of the most visible and outspoken faces of the MK Party.
As an MP and a social-media firebrand, she has built a loyal following among the party’s youth wing with her combative style – the same style that landed her in the dock for terrorism charges over her 2021 tweets.
In the Russia-Ukraine scandal, Duduzile is the central figure accused by her half-sister Nkosazana of masterminding the entire recruitment drive. According to the police affidavit and multiple reports, it was Duduzile who orchestrated the recruitment of the young men, organising the trip and even travelling to Russia at her own expense, where she completed a month of basic training herself. She then hopped on a flight home as soon as the men were sent to the front lines.
Just as the dust seemed to settle on Nkosazana’s explosive affidavit, her half-sister Duduzile fired back with countercharges of her own.
On Tuesday, a day after the Hawks confirmed they’re treating the Russian recruitment mess as a potential human trafficking case, Duduzile laid countercharges against one of her alleged co-recruiters, named by Nkosazana, Blessing Khoza. She has accused Khoza of fraud and extortion, insisting she is a “victim of deception, misrepresentation and manipulation”.
Khoza, allegedly a total stranger she only knew via WhatsApp, duped her with tales of non-combat training.
Duduzile says she footed her own bill to Russia, did a month of basic training drills, and claims “this discovery caused [her] profound shock and distress”. “I experienced only non-combat, controlled activities. I was never exposed to combat, never deployed,” she said.
Meanwhile, Duduzile is also on trial
Separate from the Russia recruitment scandal, Duduzile is currently on trial for incitement to commit terrorism and public violence linked to the July 2021 unrest.
The state alleges she used Twitter (now X) to encourage or amplify messages that contributed to the riots. She has pleaded not guilty. Expert witnesses have testified about the scale of her online influence, while her defence argues she is being targeted for political reasons.
Although the charges are unrelated, her trial forms part of the backdrop to the bigger MK story: a party under pressure, and a Zuma family facing multiple legal challenges at once.
Read more about Duduzile Zuma’s trial here.
What this all means for the MK Party
The political fallout is significant:
- The allegations involve illegal foreign military assistance, a serious offence.
- The trafficking claims point to possible exploitation of young, unemployed South Africans.
- Diplomatically, the saga complicates South Africa’s carefully maintained neutrality in the Russia–Ukraine conflict.
- Internally, it exposes deep divisions, not just within MK, but within the Zuma family itself.
The scandal raises uncomfortable questions about whether MK structures were used, intentionally or not, to channel recruits to Russia.
A family feud with national consequences
The public clash between Nkosazana and Duduzile is unprecedented. The Zuma family has long projected unity, even amid political battles. This time, the split is stark: sworn affidavits, criminal allegations, and accusations involving warfare abroad.
And behind the politics is a human crisis: South African families waiting for news about sons caught in a foreign war they never intended to fight.
Emma is a freshly graduated Journalist from Stellenbosch University, who also holds an Honours in history. She joined the explain team, eager to provide thorough and truthful information and connect with her generation.
