Nonkululeko Mantula, Xolani Ntuli, Thulani Mazibuko, Siphamandla Tshabalala and Sifiso Mabena are due to appear at the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court this week on Monday. Five South African nationals accused of recruiting local men to fight in the Russia–Ukraine war are expected to appear in court this week, marking a significant step in a case that has drawn national and international attention. Authorities say 17 South African men were ultimately sent to Russia in July 2025 after being lured with promises of legitimate security work.
The group, mostly aged between 20 and 39, included 16 recruits from KwaZulu-Natal and one from the Eastern Cape. The spokesperson for those affected, Thulani Mahlangu, said the men were sold for R14 million and thatthe incident has affected the families dearly. “When they got to Russia, they found themselves being contracts written in Russian,” Mahlangu told the SABC.
“They couldn’t understand what the contracts entailed until some South Africans, including Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla and others convinced them to sign.” “These messages show clear coordination inluring at least 22 mento Russia under the guise of ‘personal development’, ‘security training’, and even promises of Russian or Canadian citizenship,” said DA’s spokesperson on Defence and Military Veterans, Chris Hattingh. Mahlangu went on to say that the men were taken for training which lasted a month in which they were told that it was military training and that they were preparing for war. “In September, former President Zuma was informed about that training and wrote a letter to the commanders of the groups, and they were prepared to release the boys…When they got there, they had a video call withZuma-Sambudlaand everything changed,” he claimed. Zuma-Sambudla has claimed she had been misled and was a victim in her own right in the matter.
