A group of South African men who travelled to Russia say a promised opportunity to receive bodyguard training has instead turned into a nightmare of coercion, threats, and forced involvement in the war in Ukraine. The men, who were sent to Russia by the MK Party, now allege that Russian commanders pressured them into signing contracts they did not understand, confiscated their phones, drained their bank accounts, and attempted to deploy them to the battlefield.
At least 18 South Africans are believed to be stranded in Russia, where fears for their safety have escalated in recent weeks. WhatsApp group chats, screenshots, and correspondence seen by News24 reveal desperate pleas for help, internal conflicts, and attempts by prominent MK Party figures to calm the widening panic.
The men were initially placed in a WhatsApp group called “Jhb-Russia Team” as they prepared to travel to Russia in July. Soon after their arrival, the group name was changed to “MK/Russia Mission”, with Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla — daughter of former president Jacob Zuma — serving as the administrator. The men’s families say they were told the programme would equip them with skills to become bodyguards. Instead, they were plunged into military-style drills, Russian language lessons, and weapons training.
“Welcome to Russia,” Zuma-Sambudla wrote cheerfully after the group informed her of their arrival. She shared pictures, jokes, and updates, attempting to lighten the mood as the men went through what appeared to be an intensive, combat-focused training schedule. In one message, she said: “All will be well. The last time I was here, my colleague was also profiled, and we waited for her for hours as well. It’s just Russians being Russians, but enjoy the experience.”
Zuma-Sambudla also described her own gruelling training experiences in Russia, telling the men about a night she said she spent alone in a forest. “They left me alone in the bush, and they told me, if you are scared, here is a knife and a grenade,” she said. She went on to recount running with a 30kg backpack, loading an AK-47 magazine with and without gloves, and dodging a grenade during an exercise. “I won’t lie, my mental was really tested yesterday… I fell in the swamp and the second fall looked like (teary eye emoji). But I made it.”
Her stories — filled with bruised limbs, injuries, and intense drills — proved to be a grim warning of what awaited the men.
By August, their tone had shifted dramatically. Panic messages began to flood the group chat. The men said they were suddenly being monitored, separated into different houses, forbidden from communicating freely, and forced to surrender their phones at night. Some said that Russian commanders were telling them they would soon be deployed to fight in Ukraine.
The situation deteriorated further when the men realised money was disappearing from their accounts. “The worst part is that they are wiping out our accounts, and they are demanding money,” one man wrote. Another explained: “We are telling them that according to what we know, we are not paying anything from our pockets.”
One of the most chilling messages came from a man who wrote: “We are powerless and these guys can do whatever to us.”
In the group, tensions also rose between the recruits and another figure, Khoza, who appeared to act as a coordinator. Although Khoza insisted he too was being controlled by Russian commanders, the men blamed him for ignoring their earlier warnings. “You said we don’t have balls, we are behaving like women… If you listened to us at that time, we wouldn’t be here,” one of them said.
As chaos mounted, Zuma-Sambudla attempted to take charge. She urged the men to refrain from arguing and to appoint a leader who could gather their complaints. “Cdes, this is not an attacking session… please let’s work together to get over this hurdle and we will deal with everything else thereafter,” she said.
Xuma Zuma, another group member, tried to reassure the men, saying: “This is not the first time we have had soldiers trained in Russia. We agreed to training, not war. We don’t agree with what is happening; that is why we are trying our best to resolve this matter. This is not what we subscribed to, and it cannot be allowed to happen.”
In September, a letter surfaced — dated 19 September and bearing the signature of former president Jacob Zuma — appealing directly to Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov for the men to be withdrawn from frontline positions. The letter reportedly urges Russian authorities to release the South Africans from combat duties.
Inside the WhatsApp group, the men described their attempts to resist participating in what they believed was forced recruitment. One explained how they told their commanders they had been instructed by “high command from Pskov not to train until this matter is resolved”, only to be told that the commanders on the ground made the decisions. “They say we are sabotaging them, and they take our actions as treason,” he wrote.
Another added: “We did try to refuse going to training today, and we were threatened that this is their territory… They went as far as saying we will go anywhere they send us to fight.”
Attempts by News24 to obtain comment from Zuma-Sambudla, Xuma Zuma and Khoza were unsuccessful. They did not respond to messages or calls, and their responses will be added once received.
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