️ Durban, South Africa – When Sipho Dlamini* stepped off a plane from Russia last week, returning home to this South African port city, he carried nothing but the clothes on his back. The 32-year-old said, “They made us burn everything we had – clothes, documents, even family photos. From the start, it was hell.”
️ Dlamini is one of more than a dozen South Africans repatriated from Russia, where they claim they were lured under false pretenses and thrust onto the front lines of the war in Ukraine, mirroring experiences of other African men from countries including Kenya and Zimbabwe. In November last year, it emerged that several South Africans aged 20 to 39 had been sent to Russia for what they believed would be security training, but were soon conscripted into a paramilitary group and deployed to fight in Ukraine.
️ At the center of the controversy is Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla – a daughter of South Africa’s former president, Jacob Zuma – who resigned as a lawmaker in December after being implicated in the recruitment drive and facing a police investigation. The recruits, many from the Zumas’ home region of Nkandla in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province, returned after current President Cyril Ramaphosa reached out to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for support, the presidency stated last week.
️ The returnees and their families now fear reprisals from recruiters and possible prosecution under South African law, which prohibits citizens from fighting in foreign conflicts. They spoke to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity. Thabo Khumalo*, 28, said, “We were told we’d be trained as VIP bodyguards,” adding that Zuma-Sambudla and her stepmother were at the forefront of recruiting the men.
️ Thulani Mahlangu, a spokesperson for the returnees’ families, alleges that Zuma-Sambudla, 43, and her associates were paid at least 14 million rand (about $845,000) by Russia’s Wagner Group to secure the men’s services. “Our children were sold off,” said one parent. “They were promised jobs, but instead they were used.” In a statement to police last year, Zuma-Sambudla claimed she was a “victim” herself, alleging deception by promises of lucrative security contracts in Russia.
️ At the start of their contracts in Russia, several men reported receiving a lump sum of 80,000 rand (about $4,800) – money they quickly sent home upon realizing their employment conditions. Khumalo said, “I gave it to my mother immediately. I thought I’d die there.” In Russia, recruits were issued military uniforms and weapons, with barely a week of basic drills provided, they stated.
️ On the front lines, the men were stationed in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, a primary battlefield in the four-year war. All returnees interviewed by Al Jazeera said they witnessed violence and death, as well as the worst treatment meted out to African fighters. Khumalo said, “African recruits were made to do the most dangerous duties on the front line. Some were forced to retrieve dead and injured while drones hovered above them… Others were shouted at and racially abused by the Russians. It was sad to see Africans treated this way.” Mandla Zulu*, 44, agreed, “They treated Africans worse. We were racially abused, beaten, and sent into the most dangerous areas…”
Source: www.aljazeera.com