SOWETAN | State must secure return of men duped into fighting in Russia

It is nearly three months since the SA government announced it was in talks with Russia to bring home 17 South Africans who were allegedly tricked into fighting in theUkraine war. The families of some of the men have accusedDuduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of former president Jacob Zuma, of luring them into danger under false pretences. As a result of the scandal, Zuma-Sambudla resigned as an MP of the MK Party after criminal charges were laid against her last year.

The outcome of the investigation into her alleged involvement is not yet known, but the allegations of mercenary recruitment are so serious that the public ought to expect arrests. Five people have since been arrested and charged for their alleged involvement in the recruitment of young men to fight for Russia in its war with Ukraine. The five, however, have not been linked to Zuma-Sambudla.

According to reports, four SA men who were trapped in Ukraine’s Donbas region after being lured into fighting alongside Russian forces returned home last week. Their return home is a welcome development for their families, who had sent a distress call to the SA government, but more importantly should serve as a huge boost to the state’s case against those accused of this illegal recruitment. Yesterday, Sowetan’s sister publication, The Sunday Times, reported that one of the men lost a leg during a drone attack in December, while another has been confined to a wheelchair.

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Their harrowing experiences highlight the need for urgency in returning the men home and for the state to act swiftly against those accused of putting their lives in the line of fire. The men daily face grave danger to their lives, and their families have been in distress for months while those who allegedly lured them into danger with false promises continue to enjoy their lives. While Zuma-Sambudla has previously claimed that she was also deceived into recruiting some of the men, she has taken no accountability for her actions.

The least the families of those trapped in the warzone expect from her is blame shifting and attempting to wash her hands of the problem she was part of creating. The state is duty bound to help the families of those recruited with facilitating their return and also to ensure that the law takes its course without fear or favour against those who lured them into danger.

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