South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Tuesday that 11 men from his country who were allegedly tricked into joining Russian forces in the Ukraine conflict will be coming home soon.
This development will increase the total count of returned South African citizens to 15, after four men landed in Johannesburg last week following months of combat duty in the Russia-Ukraine war zone.
According to officials, the men were misled into making the trip to Russia with promises they would undergo security-related job training.
Two additional South Africans are still in Russia – one receiving medical care in a hospital while the other is completing paperwork before his scheduled departure home, Ramaphosa explained. The president noted that these returns have been made possible through diplomatic negotiations following a pledge made by Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month.
“The South African government working closely with the Russian government has secured a safe return of the men. The investigation into the circumstances that led to the recruitment of these young men into mercenary activities is ongoing,” Ramaphosa said in a statement.
Authorities are currently investigating three individuals connected to recruiting these men for Russian service, including Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, who is the daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma.
While she has maintained her innocence regarding any misconduct, she stepped down from her position as a parliamentary member in South Africa after the allegations surfaced.
In December, South Africa’s administration reported receiving emergency calls from the men who claimed they were stuck in Ukraine’s war-ravaged Donbas region in the east.
The government stated that these men, ranging in age from 20 to 39 years old, had enlisted with mercenary groups after being promised well-paying job opportunities.
This situation mirrors similar cases involving African men being recruited for the Ukraine conflict, including more than 1,000 individuals from Kenya, based on an intelligence briefing given to Kenya’s parliament recently.
In recent weeks, numerous Kenyan families have appealed to their government to retrieve family members stuck in Russia, with some reportedly compelled to serve in combat zones while others are being held as prisoners of war in Ukraine.
Thulani Mahlangu, who serves as a spokesperson and is related to one of the four South Africans who returned last week, informed The Associated Press that the men have been allowed to go to their homes after police questioning.
South African law forbids citizens from participating in foreign military conflicts without official government approval.
“They were questioned for quite sometime when they arrived here in South Africa because there is still an investigation about how the ended up in Russia. But they were released after talking to the police,” said Mahlangu.
