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The Democratic Alliance is calling for urgent action from Parliament and law-enforcement after new and very disturbing information came to light about how 17 young South African men were lured into travelling to Russia and then forced into the Ukraine war.

These men were promised bodyguard or security training. But when they arrived, they were made to sign documents written in Russian, had their passports, phones and bank cards taken away, and were moved to the Donetsk region, close to active fighting. Some were forced to carry weapons and ammunition, dig trenches and operate equipment under Russian control. They have been asking their families and government for help because they want to come home.

This is a chilling case of the powerful preying on the vulnerable. The promise of a job was a death trap, and an MP stands accused of holding the door open.

The DA will be filing a criminal case with the SAPS to investigate the roles of Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla MP and others mentioned in media reports for misleading these young men and sending them into an active war zone. The matter has already been handed over to the Hawks.

The DA fully supports the Hawks investigation, and if the evidence shows that laws were broken – including trafficking, fraud or illegal foreign military activity – then the law must take its course and prosecution must follow.

Provided that Zuma-Sambudla is a sitting Member of Parliament, I am also writing to the Acting Registrar of Parliament’s Ethics Committee to request an immediate ethics investigation. Allegations of this nature, involving an MP, cannot be ignored. If a public representative abused her position to recruit or mislead young South Africans into a foreign conflict, it would be a serious breach of her Oath of office and Parliament’s ethical rules. Parliament must treat this matter with the seriousness it deserves.

I and my DA counterpart on the International Relations portfolio committee, Ryan Smith MP, will both write to our respective portfolio committee chairpersons to urge that our committees are urgently briefed on this concerning matter by the State Security Agency, Defence Intelligence, DIRCO, the Hawks and the Department of Defence. We need clarity on how this recruitment network operated inside South Africa, whether warning signs were missed, and what government is doing to bring the men home safely.

South Africa cannot allow our young people to be tricked into fighting in foreign wars. We cannot allow political connections to be used to mislead vulnerable citizens. And we cannot allow Parliament to look the other way when one of its members faces allegations of this seriousness.

The DA will continue pushing for full accountability, proper oversight and urgent action to protect our citizens and uphold the rule of law.

Issued by Chris Hattingh MP - DA Spokesperson on Defence & Military Veterans