The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Thursday laid criminal charges against uMkhonto we Sizwe Party MP Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, for her alleged role in recruiting and trafficking South African men into the Russian war effort in Ukraine.

The charges include human trafficking, contraventions of South Africa’s anti-mercenary legislation and additional offences that the South African Police Service (Saps) must now investigate.

DA spokesperson on Defence & Military Veterans Chris Hattingh said the charges came from new evidence received by the party, including about 100 WhatsApp messages from a group allegedly administered by Zuma-Sambudla.

“These messages show clear coordination in luring at least 22 men to Russia under the guise of ‘personal development’, ‘security training’, and even promises of Russian or Canadian citizenship.

“Families of the men have independently provided consistent testimonies confirming the same pattern of deception. One mother said her son was ‘excited for a new life’ and believed he would return with foreign citizenship — only to find himself trapped in a warzone,” Hattingh revealed.

He highlighted that of the 22 men who initially travelled, 19 remain in Russia — including 17 South Africans — now reportedly deployed in a “red zone” in North Donetsk as part of Russian forces.

Three were returned early owing to family connections to former President Nelson Mandela.

On Monday, the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation confirmed that 17 South Africans remain stranded in the Donbas area after allegedly being lured there under false pretences.

Hattingh stated that according to information gathered, once the men arrived in Russia, their passports and clothing were burned, their phones confiscated, and communication with families gradually cut off until it ceased entirely.

“This directly contradicts every promise made to them and constitutes clear indicators of trafficking and coercion,” he pointed out.

Hattingh said South Africa has strict prohibitions on mercenary recruitment, yet Defence Intelligence and Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) remained silent, despite apparent indications that the Presidency and former President Jacob Zuma were aware of the situation.

He highlighted that while Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga had now confirmed that the State Security Agency (SSA) was liaising with the Russian government, Dirco continued to offer no explanation for its “absence” from the crisis.

“Their silence can only be interpreted as tacit support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This dangerous foreign policy ambiguity is already straining relations with South Africa’s major trading partners, who increasingly view the African National Congress’s political proximity to Russia as a growing security risk,” Hattingh said.

Meanwhile the DA said it would pursue an urgent joint committee meeting to determine what Dirco, Defence Intelligence and the SSA knew, and what actions they took.

“We will also escalate pressure on government to immediately begin the process of repatriating the 17 South Africans still trapped in an active Russian warzone. Above all, the DA will ensure that every individual responsible for the recruitment, deception and trafficking of these men is held fully accountable under South African law,” Hattingh said.