The department of international relations and cooperation (Dirco) has issued a warning to young South Africans to exercise caution when engaging with online job advertisements, particularly those promoted on social media platforms.
Deputy director-general Clayson Monyela, responsible for public diplomacy, urged vigilance: "Please warn young people, girls in particular, not to fall for unverified foreign job offers.
"Some are being promoted by influencers on TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms. Human trafficking syndicates are luring people into all sorts of illegal activities under slave-like conditions. If something looks too good to be true, get a second opinion. Contact Dirco or any of our embassies in the country of interest," he said.
Earlier this year, 23 South Africans were rescued with the help of Dirco from Myanmar where they were held against their will to work in an online scam factory after being lured with the fake promise of jobs in IT.
The latest warning comes amid criticism of some social media influencers for promoting a programme called Alabuga Start targeting people aged 18 to 22. Some appear to have travelled to Russia on seemingly paid-for trips as part of the recruitment initiative.
A promotional video of the programme by one SA influencer was flagged by former MP turned tech consultant Phumzile Van Damme. She called on X for an investigation into the programme which recruits young women to travel to Russia for "training and work", with the promise of regular promotions and tutorials to learn to speak the language during the two-year assignment.
Monyela responded to her: "The matter is under investigation."
While some influencers have since deleted their posts, discussions around accountability in influencer culture are being debated online.
On X Thabo Thibeli commented: "Why would you trust any influencer about a job opening? They avoided approaching universities, the government and LinkedIn. It’s got red flags all over it."
Patience Molepo said: "Thank you for this heads up. I think there also needs to be a conversation about influencer culture as it seems anything goes these days all in the name of securing the bag and clout in some instances."
The AP news agency reported last year that about 200 women aged 18 to 22 from across Africa had been recruited to work in a factory at the Alabuga special economic zone alongside Russian vocational students assembling Iranian-designed attack drones to be launched into Ukraine.
Some of the women told AP they were misled that it would be a work-study programme, describing long hours under constant surveillance, broken promises about wages and areas of study, and working with caustic chemicals that left their skin pockmarked and itching.
I thought it was a nice opportunity to get out of the country with all expenses paid ... They said they were 'good, happy, fine'. Some said they go home for the holidays, others said no because at home they are poor. One told me after this she doesn't even want to go home, she wants to move to Moscow
— Sima Mangolwane
According to Bloomberg News, as published by Business Insider Africa, the jobs being promoted are by Russian companies targeting young South African women interested in construction or hospitality roles.
“The recruitment process is being coordinated under the Brics umbrella, particularly through the South African chapter of the Brics Women’s Business Alliance,” said Business Insider Africa.
“According to reports, the alliance signed an agreement in May to supply more than 5,600 workers to Alabuga and construction firm Etalonstroi Ural in Russia,” the report stated.
Some of the SA TikTok influencers who have been posting about the programme have spoken out, saying they were not aware of the red flags people are sharing.
Sima Mangolwane, known as “Seemah” on social media, said on a TikTok video she thought the programme seemed like a good chance for unemployed youth.
"I thought it was a nice opportunity to get out of the country with all expenses paid," she said.
Mangolwane said during her trip she asked young women who were part of the programme if they were happy and well treated.
"They said they were 'good, happy, fine'. Some said they go home for the holidays, others said no because at home they are poor. One told me after this she doesn't even want to go home, she wants to move to Moscow."
She said "everything seemed normal" during her visit but admitted she had not researched the programme before promoting it.
"It's definitely my fault for not checking or doing my research. I apologise for being ignorant and potentially putting young women in danger. I've deleted the videos. I don't know what to do."
Another influencer, Aya Langa, took to her platform to apologise, saying she regrets any potential harm that may have been caused by her involvement.
"I'd like to sincerely apologise for everything that is going on, especially to those who applied because of me. None of us would have wanted to take part in such a campaign if we had known about the [alleged] plot behind it. I personally would never want to be 'isizathu sezinyembezi zomunye umuntu' [the reason for someone else’s tears]," she said.
Langa said she had not visited the programme's base in Russia but she heard from other influencers that the youths seemed safe and happy and nothing dodgy was happening there.
While many online commentators have flagged that young people should be cautious about the jobs that they apply for, the recent quarterly labour force survey from Statistics South Africa painted a grim picture about youth unemployment. This comes as the official unemployment rate rose to 33.2% in the second quarter of 2025, up from 32.9% in the first quarter.
Dirco highlighted the dangers of falling for dubious job offers after the rescue operation in March that saved South Africans in Myanmar. They had been lured to Thailand under false promises of lucrative employment advertised on social media, only to be trafficked to Myanmar.
"The victims were held captive for more than four months in a cybercrime compound and subjected to brutal treatment, including intimidation, physical torture and forced labour. They were compelled to engage in illicit activities, including online scams targeting individuals worldwide," said Dirco.
"They were held under 24-hour armed security, with a ransom of about R50,000 demanded for their release. They were forced to work 16-hour days, beaten or tortured if they refused, and survived on spoiled food and contaminated water without access to medical treatment."
Dirco advised job seekers to verify any offers, especially those promoted online, and to consult government channels or accredited embassies before making decisions that could put them at risk.
TimesLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.