Our Viewpoint | Repatriation of SA citizens from Ukraine

The repatriation of four of the 17 South Africans lured into the Russia-Ukraine war under false pretences is a welcome diplomatic breakthrough. The four’s return, which was secured after President Cyril Ramaphosa engaged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, signals that sustained diplomatic pressure can yield tangible humanitarian outcomes. For the affected families, many of them in KwaZulu-Natal, the arrival of the four men this week represents more than a logistical success.

It is the end of months of fear, uncertainty and helplessness. Their return restores hope that those still trapped in the conflict may also find their way home. But the story cannot end at the airport arrivals terminal.

What must now follow is a two-pronged response: the urgent repatriation of the remaining South Africans still caught in the conflict, and decisive legal action against those responsible for recruiting them. The recruitment of citizens into a foreign war under the guise of lucrative employment is not merely a scam, it is human trafficking. The scammers prey on unemployment, desperation and the enduring belief among many young South Africans that opportunity lies elsewhere.

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When false promises become a pipeline into armed conflict, the crime extends beyond fraud. It becomes a violation of human rights. That such networks could operate with links to politically connected figures, including Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of former president Jacob Zuma, raises deeply uncomfortable questions.

Zuma-Sambudla’s resignation from the MK Party parliamentary caucus last year created the impression that the matter was being treated with seriousness. Instead, the MK Party has now handed Zuma-Sambudla an even much higher position of Parliamentary Signatory, meaning she now has the power to hire and fire party MPs.

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