Ramaphosa, Putin discuss return of 17 SA men after families’ urgent plea

Families plead with President Cyril Ramaphosa for the return of their relatives President Cyril Ramaphosa and Russian President Vladimir Putin have pledged their support to the process ofreturning South Africans,who have been fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, to their home country. This is according to a statement issued by the South African presidency on Tuesday night which said that Ramaphosa and Putin had discussed the conflict during a telephone call. “In this regard, teams from both sides will continue their engagements towards the finalisation of this process,” the statement said, regarding theSouth African men trapped in the conflict.

The statement said Ramaphosa also expressed South Africa’s ongoing support to diplomatic and peaceful efforts aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict. It came hours after relatives of the men held a media briefing in Durban during which they called for Ramaphosa’s intervention.