Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla and Siphokazi Xuma-Zuma, alleged co-conspirators behind the alleged trafficking of 17 South African men to Russia, were quiet spectators at a MK Party (MKP) briefing concerning their roles in the international fracas in Durban on Friday.
This follows revelations by Zuma-Sambudla’s sister Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube on Saturday that the MK Party MP and two other people — Xuma-Zuma and a Blessing Khoza — had allegedly sent the men to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war on the premise they were going for security guard training.
MKP founder and former president Jacob Zuma was also silent as his party distanced itself from the alleged mercenary recruitment programme for Russia implicating Zuma-Sambudla.
The party also announced Zuma-Sambudla had resigned as a member of the National Assembly.
“She has declared her full co-operation with the investigation by relevant authorities [and] as a consequence of which she has handed her resignation from the National Assembly and all public representative responsibilities with immediate effect,” said the party’s national chairperson Nathi Nhleko.
Pressed on how Zuma-Sambudla was implicated, Nhleko replied: “You want comrade Duduzile to stand up and implicate herself? … You can’t ask somebody to implicate herself, particularly when the matter, in its entirety, is subject to investigation.”
We cannot be in a position to [comment further] precisely because we’ve got to respect the process that is being undertaken by the respective authorities. All we’re saying is that ourselves, as MKP, are not involved in the Russia-Ukraine matter
— Nathi Nhleko, MK Party national chair
The party also distanced itself from the unfolding saga.
Neither Zuma-Sambudla nor Xuma-Zuma, who sat side by side at the back of the venue, spoke or were asked to elaborate.
Nhleko said he couldn’t go into details on the matter as it was sub judice but stressed that the party had no involvement in the matter.
“Most of these particular matters are also subject to an ongoing investigation … we cannot be in a position to [comment further] precisely because we’ve got to respect the process that is being undertaken by the respective authorities. All we’re saying is that ourselves, as MKP, are not involved in the Russia-Ukraine matter,” he said.
The point was reiterated by the party’s head of presidency Magasela Mzobe. “On the question of whether the MKP is disputing the publicly available information, all we’re saying is that the party was never involved in the matter of these South Africans going to Ukraine,” he said.
Mzobe said Zuma-Sambudla’s sworn affidavit, which she submitted to the police under oath, aligned with the party’s position. “In the affidavit that comrade Dudu presented to the officials, which she signed under oath, there is nowhere in her account [where] she claims that the MKP was ever involved.”
In the affidavit Zuma-Sambudla filed to the Sandton police station on Monday, she denied acting as a recruiter or facilitator in any unlawful scheme. She claimed she was deceived by a man called Blessing Rhulani Khoza, who contacted her on WhatsApp and presented the programme as a legitimate, non-combat paramilitary training programme for civilians — all while presenting himself as a South African living in Russia.
She later travelled to Russia at her own expense and completed what she said was harmless, surface-level training and shared the information with relatives on her return, insisting that all participants joined voluntarily. When she learnt the group had allegedly been taken to a conflict zone, she returned to Russia to seek help. She swore she had no prior knowledge of Khoza and had offered her full co-operation to investigators.
Comrade Dudu was never forced to resign. She volunteered because she wanted to focus on helping families return their loved ones … as far as we know the resignation has nothing to do with an admission of guilt or the organisation finding her guilty
— Magasela Mzobe, MK Party head of presidency
Mzobe said the party accepted her version and her willingness to co-operate with investigators.
“Dudu argues that she’s going to fully co-operate with all investigations by any organs of state to find the truth on this matter … the organisation will give her all the support to uncover the truth [and] safely return these South Africans back home.”
He also revealed that the party’s leadership has been engaging with the families of the affected men. He said families approached the organisation after reports surfaced that young South Africans had been recruited under false pretences to fight on the frontlines of the conflict.
“It’s true that families have contacted the leadership of MKP and as a result the leadership will now, wiser after having received the full detailed report from comrade Dudu, meet the families to explain and help them with all the processes that will lead to their family members coming back to South Africa.”
Mzobe dismissed any suggestion that Zuma-Sambudla had been forced out. “Comrade Dudu was never forced to resign. She volunteered because she wanted to focus on helping families return their loved ones … as far as we know the resignation has nothing to do with an admission of guilt or the organisation finding her guilty.”
He added that the party would not turn the episode into political ammunition as local elections loom. “We have no intentions of making it a political football … the MKP has enough material to campaign.”
Mzobe said Zuma-Sambudla would now devote herself to assisting investigators. “She has requested that she be recused from responsibilities and focus on co-operating fully with all organs of the state who want to find the truth to return those people safe.”
The DA laid criminal charges on Thursday against Zuma-Sambudla for her alleged central role in recruiting and trafficking young South African men for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
TimesLIVE
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