Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla’s resignation comes amid an investigation into his role in luring South Africans to fight for Russia in the war on Ukraine.
Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla’s resignation on Friday came as police said he was being investigated for his alleged role in luring South Africans to Russia. The police announcement came after a group of men aged between 20 and 39 arrived on the front lines of the conflict in Ukraine.
Recommended Stories
4 item listend of list
Zuma-Sambudla had served since June 2024 as a member of parliament for Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK), an opposition party formed by her father in 2023 following his expulsion from South Africa’s then-ruling African National Congress.
“The national authorities have accepted Comrade Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla’s decision to resign and support his efforts to ensure that these young South Africans are returned safely to their families,” MK party national chairman Nkosinathi Nhleko told a news conference.
MK officials said that Zuma-Sambudla’s resignation was voluntary and that their departure from the National Assembly and all other public roles was effective immediately.
MK’s Nhleko also said the party was not involved in luring the men to Russia and that Zuma-Sambudla’s resignation was not an admission of guilt, but said MK would help assist the families of those stranded in Ukraine.
Zuma-Sambudla was present at the press conference but did not speak and did not publicly respond to her half-sister’s allegations.
South Africa’s government said earlier this month that 17 of its citizens were trapped in Ukraine’s Donbass region after being tricked into fighting for mercenaries under the pretext of lucrative employment contracts.
Then, last weekend, police said they would investigate Juma-Sambudla after her half-sister made a formal request to investigate her and two other people.
According to police, an affidavit submitted by Nkosazana Bonganini Juma-Mancube, Zuma-Sambudla’s half-sister, alleged that Juma-Sambudla and two other men lured South Africans into the fight by promising to provide security training in Russia. The identity of the other two people was not clear.
The affidavit alleges that the South Africans were handed over to a Russian mercenary group and forced to fight in the conflict. It also said that eight of the 17 people were members of the extended families of Juma-Sambudla and Juma-Mancube.
South African presidential spokesman Vincent Mgwenya told Al Jazeera that the government had received a “distress call” from the group trapped in the Ukraine war, and that officials were working “very quietly” at all levels “to ensure their safe return”.
“But at the same time, there is an investigation going on to look into how they were recruited, who was involved, and what were they promised?” Magwenya said.
Jordan on Thursday became the latest country to rebuke Russia for recruiting its citizens to fight, following the killing of two Jordanian citizens.
While Jordan did not specifically reference Russia’s war on Ukraine, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said it would “take all available measures” to end further recruitment of Jordanians, and asked Moscow to terminate the contracts of its currently enlisted citizens.
Ukraine says Moscow has recruited at least 18,000 foreign fighters from 128 countries, according to figures shared by Ukrainian Brigadier General Dmytro Usov, who also said about 3,400 foreigners have died fighting for Russia.
Michael Appel, reporting for Al Jazeera from Johannesburg, said Zuma-Sambudla is seen as a divisive political figure in South Africa, and he already faces “serious charges” related to unrest in South Africa in 2021, which led to the deaths of hundreds of people.
He has denied any wrongdoing in that case and has pleaded not guilty to inciting violence through social media posts.
<a href
В каталоге представлены проверенные провайдеры и актуальные игровые новинки.
Пинко Казино
Выбирая Pinco Casino, вы делаете ставку на надежность и комфорт.