Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to President Cyril Ramaphosa, briefing the media and responding to questions on topical issues of public interest at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. As worries about the safety of South African men who are thought to be stranded in Russia due to the ongoing conflict with Ukraine grow, the Presidency said it has no updates on efforts to free them. Vincent Magwenya, a spokesman for the presidency, warned that the men are in a very dangerous environment and face grave threats to their lives, and that the process to secure their return is still “very sensitive.” Government, he said, is still engaged in discussions with multiple authorities in an attempt to extract them from harm’s way.
According to Magwenya, diplomatic engagements are focused primarily on the Russian authorities rather than Ukraine. Thiscomes after news emerged after at least 17 South African menclaimed they were recruited, allegedly by Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla and others, for what they believed was bodyguard training linked to the MK Party. ButMKP has distanced itself from the scandal saying it’s a “Dudumatter”.
The men are from KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and from the Eastern Cape (EC). Instead, the men say they were flown to Russia, where they were pressured into signing military contracts written entirely in Russian before being moved toward the front lines of the war in eastern Ukraine. “The information that we have is that they were bungled into the Russian military forces,” Magwenya said, adding that talks are ongoing to resolve the situation.
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The issue, he stressed, remained a top priority for both government and President Cyril Ramaphosa, receiving what he described as the “highest attention” at the executive level. However, no timeline has been provided, deepening anxiety among families desperate for answers.
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