The government says it has received distress calls from 17 South African men, aged between 20 and 39, who are trapped in the war-torn Donbas region of Ukraine.
The group has appealed for urgent assistance to return home.
According to the presidency, the group, 16 of whom come from KwaZulu-Natal and one from the Eastern Cape, were lured to join mercenary forces involved in the Ukraine-Russia war under the pretext of lucrative employment contracts.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered an investigation into the circumstances that led to the recruitment of these young men into these seemingly mercenary activities, his spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said.
“President Ramaphosa and the South African government strongly condemn the exploitation of young vulnerable people by individuals working with foreign military entities.”
The government is working through diplomatic channels to secure the return of the men after their calls for assistance to return home, he said.
Magwenya noted that under the Foreign Military Assistance Act, it is illegal for South African citizens and entities to offer or provide military assistance to foreign governments or participate in armies of foreign governments unless authorised by the South African government.
TimesLIVE
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