The fracas over MK Party loyalists sent to Russia for ‘bodyguard training’ but who now find themselves stranded in the conflict-torn Donbas region points to a sinister agenda of the opposition party led by former president Jacob Zuma.
The bodyguard narrative seems a hoax and now the families of the 17 men are frantically appealing for government assistance in getting the men back home.
The group — initially 22 of them — were lured by Zuma’s daughter Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, a woman said to be his partner, Siphokazi Xuma-Zuma, and a man known as Blessing Khoza, their commander.
The men, who were made to sign infantry contracts in Russian, claim to be have been conned. It emerges from chats on the MK Russia Mission WhatsApps they are terrified after finding their military training has morphed into combat warfare.
Zuma-Sambudla, who left with five of the original 22 who went to Russia — including Andile Mandela, grandson of former president Nelson Mandela — claims she underwent similar training in a combat zone, making her “battle ready”.
It turns out their handler, Khoza, has had his fair share of action in the eastern European conflict. He posted an image of himself with a signed flag of the Russian Airborne Troops, which is the aerial unit of the army.
His 18-minute tirade berating them for “lacking balls”, which was meant to stop them from crying to their wives and girlfriends and keep the mission secret, has backfired spectacularly because the entire debacle is now firmly in the public domain.
Behind the scenes diplomatic intervention by Zuma seems to have failed.
In a letter to the Russian Federation defence minister Zuma was explicitly clear the men “were sent with a singular purpose: to receive advanced military training”.
His bombshell wasn’t meant for public consumption and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realise that Zuma and his MK Party are intent on stockpiling an army with a dubious agenda.
The MK Russia mission is without a doubt a crime unfolding as South Africa’s Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act (1998) makes it illegal for citizens to fight in foreign wars or provide military help abroad without government approval. Its goal is to keep South Africans out of international conflicts and ensure they are not implicated in war crimes.
This agenda has already got Zuma-Sambudla into trouble — she spent the better part of the last two weeks with her statement court room ensembles while her advocate Dali Mpofu tore into state witnesses over her tweets alleged to have incited violence during the July 2021 riots.
The MK Russia mission is without a doubt a crime unfolding as South Africa’s Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act (1998) makes it illegal for citizens to fight in foreign wars or provide military help abroad without government approval. Its goal is to keep South Africans out of international conflicts and ensure they are not implicated in war crimes.
And the twist in the plot — her half-sister Nkosazana Bonganini Zuma-Mncube’s attempt to hold Zuma-Sambudla accountable for her role by opening a criminal complaint, is being investigated by the Hawks.
But the agenda seems to be on the radar of the government if minister in the presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni’s July announcement that there was a potential threat of a coup in South Africa — a statement made shortly after the men left the country — is to be read correctly.
While the country still reels from over 300 lives lost during the July 2021 riots and billions of rand in damages to infrastructure, this mission is not only about rescuing South Africans stranded in Ukraine, but points to a potential security breach.
While President Cyril Ramaphosa is no doubt still basking in the aftermath of hosting an incident-free G20 summit of world leaders last week — and giving the US a bloody nose — he now needs to focus his attention on the bully on home soil.
Justice needs to prevail on bringing home the 17 men to ensure they are out of danger, and to answer questions about their role in the conflict — and Zuma and co. must face the music for sending the defenceless men to Russia and explain why they are building an army.
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