Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party MP Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla has resigned from Parliament and all party activities amid allegations that she falsely recruited 17 South Africans to join the Russian army in the war against Ukraine.
In a media briefing on Friday, the MK party head of presidency, Magasela Mzobe, said the party did not force Zuma-Sambudla to resign; she volunteered to do so.
Mzobe said Zuma-Sambudla wanted to help the families of the 17 South Africans stuck in the war to return home.
“She submitted her resignation today because she could not do so without taking the leadership into confidence and getting permission,” he said.
“As far as we know, the resignation has nothing to do with an admission of guilt or the organisation finding her guilty. It is her, as a disciplined member of MK and a leader, realising that there is a matter the country needs to resolve by returning those young people safely home.”
Mzobe said Zuma-Sambudla requested to be relieved of her responsibilities so that she could focus on fully cooperating with organs of the state, adding that she wanted to find the truth and bring South Africans home safely.
Earlier on Friday, the Mail & Guardian reported that the brother of one of the 17 South Africans stuck on the frontline of the Russia-Ukraine war said his sibling had been lured there with promises of training to become a bodyguard for top officials in Jacob Zuma’s MK party.
The family member, who has been in contact with his brother by phone since he travelled to Russia with 16 others on 8 July, told the M&G that his sibling had said he expected to receive a year of training, building on his experience as a bodyguard to several senior politicians and business people.
The men were allegedly told by Zuma-Sambudla and her associates, Siphokazi Xuma and Blessing Khoza, that once they returned to South Africa, they would guard senior executives in the MK party.
The family member said that three days after the 17 men arrived in Russia, they were given contracts written in Russian, which they refused to sign because they could not understand the contents.
He said the men then contacted Zuma-Sambudla, who assured them everything was above board.
“Duduzile then came to Russia with Blessing Khoza and told the guys that there was nothing wrong with the contract and they could go ahead and sign. They signed because they trusted Duduzile — she was the one who recruited them and bought their tickets.”
Zuma-Sambudla is currently on trial for incitement for her alleged involvement in the July 2021 unrest following her father’s imprisonment for defying an order to appear before the state capture inquiry.
In a statement on Friday, Democratic Alliance spokesperson for Defence and Military Veterans, Chris Hattingh, said the resignation of Zuma-Sambudla as an MP in the face of criminal charges for mercenary recruitment and during her treason trial is a first step toward full criminal accountability.
Hattingh said the DA insists that all criminal accountability she faces continues on its course.
“Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla has long operated under the notional protection of her father, former president Jacob Zuma, acting with impunity as a senior MK Party politician. But that cannot go on.”
In a statement, MK Party Youth League secretary-general Nkateko Mkhabela said the league notes and respects Zuma-Sambudla’s decision to step down as an MP.
Mkhabela said this principled step is her personal decision and that the MK Party has absolutely no involvement in the issues currently under investigation relating to the situation in Ukraine.
“As the MK Youth League, we stand firmly with the families of the young people who are currently stranded in Ukraine. Their pain, fear and uncertainty deserve national attention and compassion,” she said.
“We call for the urgent and safe repatriation of every South African affected, and we trust that law-enforcement agencies will follow due process and ensure that justice is served without prejudice or political manipulation. Our priority remains the safety, dignity and protection of young people, not political point-scoring.”