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SABC News

2 days ago

Informative Trust High 80% #south africa #russia #ukraine #mercenary #recruitment #human trafficking #kwazulu-natal #ramaphosa #police #government intervention

Second group of SA men stranded in Russia return home to South Africa

Podcast Briefing 2:45

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Key Strategic Points

  1. 1 The second group of 11 men arrived at King Shaka International Airport in Durban on 23 January, bringing the total number of returned men to 15 out of the 17 who departed from KwaZulu-Natal on 8 July 2023.
  2. 2 The men were deceived by recruiters who promised private security training in Russia with payment of between 40,000 and 80,000 rand per person; instead, they received military uniforms, IDs, and contracts written in Russian before being deployed to fight within three weeks of arrival.
  3. 3 Two South African men remain in Russia: one hospitalised in Moscow and another undergoing travel processing, with no confirmed timeline for their return.
  4. 4 Upon arrival in South Africa, the men were immediately separated from families and taken to police stations to provide statements, as their cell phones were confiscated for the ongoing investigation.
  5. 5 Two criminal cases have been opened, including one filed by Gossan Zuma, the eldest daughter of former President Jacob Zuma, who alleges that three individuals, including her sister Duduzile Zuma Sambuele, recruited the men.
  6. 6 Several returned men displayed visible injuries, including one in a wheelchair and others limping, indicating the physical and psychological trauma endured during their seven-month deployment.
  7. 7 The South African government, through President Ramaphosa and Minister of International Relations Ronald Lamola, negotiated with Russian counterparts to secure the men's release and return.
  8. 8 Families described the recruitment as exploiting the men's desperation for employment, particularly those from rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal without jobs despite having completed matric; some family members were hospitalised due to stress during the ordeal.
  9. 9 Authorities are investigating potential human trafficking networks and mercenary recruitment syndicates, with concerns that similar schemes may be targeting young men across Africa, particularly in Kenya.
  10. 10 The constitutional status of South African citizens participating in foreign conflicts remains unclear, and authorities have not yet determined whether criminal charges will be laid against the returning men or their recruiters.

Notable Quotes

“They were given military uniforms, they were given military IDs, they were meant to sign contracts which we understand were written in Russian. And three weeks after their arrival they were then sent to fight deployed with the Russian forces.”

— Ayanda Mthembu, SABC News correspondent

“I remember at one point getting a voice note from one of the men and he said to me 'please send this message to my family that this might be the last time you might be the last person that I speak to tell my mother and tell my siblings that I love them and I'm not sure whether or not I'll come home.'”

— Ayanda Mthembu, SABC News correspondent

“The families have expressed their gratitude to the South African government to President Ramaphosa who intervened and the discussions that he had with the Russian president Vladimir Putin.”

— Ayanda Mthembu, SABC News correspondent

“When he arrived at home, he was touching the trees and the plants. He was touching the soil because he was in disbelief that he was finally home.”

— Ayanda Mthembu, SABC News correspondent (describing account from returned man's aunt)

“The families have said and they've stressed that they want those individuals who are behind this syndicate they want them to be arrested and for them to answer for what the families have described as their crimes against these innocent men.”

— Ayanda Mthembu, SABC News correspondent

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