South Africans who fought against Ukraine repatriate – media

Four South Africans from a group of about twenty young men, whose families said they had been deceived into fighting for Russia, have been repatriated to the Republic of South Africa.

According to Ukrinform, this was reported by Bloomberg, citing the South African Broadcasting Corp.

According to the broadcaster, the men, who were recruited with the help of the daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, arrived at Johannesburg's main airport on a flight from Dubai. The broadcaster released footage of their arrival and reported that the men would be taken to a police station.

The group arrived in Russia around July last year. It included two men from Botswana who were told they would be trained as security guards, after which they were forced to sign military contracts, their families said.

Last week, the office of current South African President Cyril Ramaphosa reported that he had spoken with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin and requested the return of South African citizens.

Zuma's daughter, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, said she had been misled by a South African man named Blessing Khoza, who is in Russia, and she resigned from parliament. South African police are investigating her involvement in the matter.

Many of the recruited Africans were told they would work as truck drivers or security guards in Russia and had no military training before being sent to fight against Ukraine, the report said.

In South Africa, mercenary activity has been illegal since 1998, and current legislation prohibits citizens from participating in armed conflicts abroad without government permission.

As Ukrinform reported, in November last year the South African government said it had received requests for assistance from 17 citizens involved in combat operations on the territory of Ukraine and was working to bring them home.

Photo: Den Harrson on Unsplash