Zuma’s Daughter Linked to Recruiting Africans for Russia War

The daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma has been involved in recruiting men from South Africa and Botswana for service with Russian forces in its war against Ukraine, according to people familiar with the situation and WhatsApp messages seen by Bloomberg.

A group of about 20 young men approached by Duduzile Zuma, who is a member of South Africa’s parliament, traveled to Russia in July after being told they would train as bodyguards to work for Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe Party, or MKP, said the people who include relatives of the men. They signed military contracts written entirely in Russian, were sent to the frontlines in Ukraine and lost contact with their families in August, according to the relatives of some of the men.