A bitter family feud in the Zuma household exploded into the public domain on Monday when Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, a sitting MP for the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, filed a sworn affidavit denying she masterminded the recruitment of more than a dozen South African men to fight as mercenaries in Russia.
In a dramatic reversal, Zuma-Sambudla told police she was the first victim of an elaborate WhatsApp scam and had unwittingly passed on fraudulent information to relatives and party contacts.
The affidavit, submitted at Sandton Police Station on 24 November 2025, directly contradicts claims made 24 hours earlier by her half-sister, Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube, who accused Zuma-Sambudla of “tricking 17 men into fighting for Russian mercenaries”.
Zuma-Mncube, the eldest daughter of former president Jacob Zuma and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, laid criminal charges on Saturday, alleging the men – including eight family members – were lured with promises of lucrative bodyguard training for the MK Party. Instead, they were flown to Russia, forced to sign contracts written in Russian, and deployed to the front lines in Ukraine.
In her counter-affidavit, Zuma-Sambudla insists she was approached in early 2025 by a man calling himself Blessing Rhulani Khoza, who claimed to be a South African living in Russia. Khoza allegedly offered “safe, legal civilian paramilitary training” and high-paying security jobs. Believing the opportunity was legitimate and could benefit MK Party structures, Zuma-Sambudla says she shared Khoza’s details with trusted contacts. She claims she only discovered the deception when distraught recruits began sending desperate voice notes from the conflict zone.
“I immediately distanced myself and opened a case of fraud against Mr Khoza,” Zuma-Sambudla stated in the affidavit.
The Hawks’ Crimes Against the State unit has taken over the investigation. Possible charges range from human trafficking and contravention of the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act to fraud and defeating the ends of justice. Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed both affidavits had been received and that statements were being taken from the affected families in KwaZulu-Natal.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said it was aware of South Africans “stranded in Russia under false pretences” but could not comment on specific cases while investigations were ongoing.
The scandal is the latest embarrassment for the MK Party, already reeling from internal factionalism and financial scrutiny since its surprise third-place finish in the 2024 elections.
Neither the MK Party nor Jacob Zuma’s office has responded to requests for comment.