Durban – The 15 South African men recently repatriated after fighting in Ukraine face ongoing fears of reprisal from their recruiters, with allegations surfacing of MK Party influence in their deployment and subsequent treatment.
On Thursday, International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola highlighted the complex negotiations with Russian authorities to bring the men home safely. A family spokesperson said they were happy their loved ones were back home, but they live in constant fear.
The 15 South African men, who found themselves unwitting soldiers in Russia’s war against Ukraine, are back from the front line but believe they are not yet out of danger. They fear they may now be targeted by the people who recruited them.
The men arrived home in two groups over the past week after spending over seven months fighting for survival in the war-ravaged Donbas region of Ukraine.
The trauma of war left them emotionally scarred, but even after returning home to their families in South Africa, they reportedly continue to live in fear.
The fears and concerns around their safety have now reached the desk of International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola, who said on Thursday that “there must be no one who threatens these youngsters”.
“We have been made aware [about the security and safety concern around the men], and I believe they [the families] also conveyed and made the same information to the police.
“We want to call upon anyone who played a role to recruit them to cooperate with the police investigation to ensure that the truth is known by South Africans as to what happened, how they were recruited, who was paid, how much and the law must take its course. There must be accountability,” Lamola told News24 after meeting with the families of the men at King Shaka International Airport in KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday.
The men had previously told News24 that they were part of a group of 17 who believed they were being sent to Russia to be trained as bodyguards for Jacob Zuma’s MK Party.
Over the past three months, they told News24 they had been duped into signing contracts written in Russian and accused Zuma’s daughter, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, of luring them to Russia.
The MK Party has denied involvement in the recruitment scandal. In a media briefing held in November, the party rejected the allegations.
On Thursday, Lamola also announced that two South Africans recruited to travel to Russia as part of foreign employment schemes associated with the ongoing war in Ukraine had died.
Lamola said the government was made aware of the deaths during its ongoing efforts to secure the return of the other countrymen who had travelled to the conflict zone.
However, he stressed that the two dead men were not part of the group linked to the MK Party recruitment process, which has been the focus of public attention in recent months.
Mlungisi Mncube, a spokesperson for the families of the 15 men, said that while they are relieved at the men’s safe return, the families now face a new battle. They feared reprisal, as the men could become key witnesses in a looming trial.
Mncube said the men’s identities are known to those who recruited them to go to Russia.
Mncube stated: “As parents, we are both relieved and terrified. We are so happy our children are back, but we live with constant fear. They are now key witnesses in a case that involves very prominent and influential people.”
He said the men do not like being in a position where they could be arrested and spend time in prison.
He also claimed that those who recruited them could do anything to protect themselves.
“The risk and anxiety are there, I can’t lie. They are still waiting to see what will happen, since upon our return, the police took some statements. I’m sure they are going to be called by the police to give further statements. We would love some assistance for safety to be provided because we don’t know what could happen or when,” said Mncube.
He said the parents had also requested that the men be provided with psychological assistance for their trauma.
Lamola highlighted the challenges faced during the repatriation process, which required cooperation from the Russian Federation and involved navigating the complexities of dealing with a private military company responsible for the recruitment.
“It was not easy, because this recruitment was done by a private military company, which complicated this process.
“It was very difficult; hence, it had to then lead to the discussion between the two heads of state, who then agreed to cooperate and support the process.
Lamola added: “Even after there was an agreement that they must be released, there were still difficulties because they were on the front line.”
The minister detailed the logistical hurdles encountered during the operation, including arranging travel, securing clothing, and providing basic necessities for the men upon their return from the front line to Moscow.
Some of the men did not even have clothes when they arrived in Moscow.
“Some of our staff in Moscow had to make plans to enable them [the men] to return to South Africa in a dignified and decent manner. They had to go beyond their duty, and on their own, to find means of providing for these young South Africans to travel in a dignified way,” he said.
He confirmed that the state paid for the repatriation process, but said that some families also came on board to assist financially.
While Lamola declined to reveal the name of the Russian group involved in the recruitment process, News24 understands that it was the private military company, the Wagner Group.
The Wagner Group was established in 2014 and led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, then a staunch ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The organisation, funded by the Russian state, has provided soldiers for the war in Ukraine since 2014, when they were key to the annexation of Crimea.
However, in 2023, the Wagner Group staged a mutiny, and its soldiers began marching on Moscow in a failed insurrection. Not long after that, Prigozhin and six other high-ranking members of the group died in a plane crash.
The Wagner Group is now under the control of the Russian government and also operates under the name Africa Corps, helping prop up governments across the continent in exchange for access to natural resources.
While the families are relieved to have their loved ones back, Lamola said they remained concerned about the psychological impact of the ordeal.
“The families are thrilled that their kids are back at home, but they remain concerned that someone who comes from a frontline war zone will still have trauma from the war. We have said that we will look into measures that could make the integration as workable as possible.”
Furthermore, fresh details have emerged about tensions that allegedly unfolded among the group of South African men while they were in Russia, with claims that divisions began after some were removed from frontline duties and reassigned to other work.
According to Mncube, confusion and resentment grew within the group when certain people – believed to have close ties to the Zuma family – were taken away from combat roles and placed in positions such as kitchen work and other forms of labour.
“There was a lot of unhappiness among the men because they didn’t understand why others were no longer going to the battlefield while they were still expected to fight,” said Mncube.
“Some of them were asking questions, saying: ‘Why are they working in the kitchen while we are risking our lives?’ That is where the divisions started.”
He claimed the situation followed communication from the MK Party and Zuma to Russian authorities, requesting that the men be withdrawn from frontline operations.
He alleged that those identified were then reassigned to non-combat duties.
He said: “You can imagine how that created conflict. But we are glad that they managed to get past that, and they are home safe.”
He said he was happy that his 28-year-old son was safe, healthy, and had not been injured, even though others were seriously injured.
He said that while his son was in Russia, they spoke for almost a week, during which his son updated him on the situation.
“He is a very strong boy mentally, and the only time I felt that something was wrong was when the other two guys had been injured. You could tell there was fear even in his voice – it was shaking, but he is a very strong boy, and he is happy to be home,” he said.
We earlier reported that two of the South African men who were among the 17 were still in Russia. Earlier this week, the Presidency said that one is in a hospital in Moscow, while the other is being processed before his travel arrangements are finalised.
Numerous attempts to obtain a comment from Zuma-Sambudla since the story broke have been made, but she has not responded. The investigation into the recruitment scandal continues, with the safety and well-being of the repatriated men a paramount concern.
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