South Africa probes recruitment of 17 citizens as mercenaries in Ukraine war

South Africa probes recruitment of 17 citizens as mercenaries in Ukraine war

South Africa's government confirmed on Thursday it had received distress calls from 17 citizens trapped in Ukraine's Donbas region after being recruited as mercenaries in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The men, aged 20 to 39, were allegedly lured under false pretenses of high-paying contracts, officials said.

Government launches investigation

President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered an inquiry into how the men were recruited into "seemingly mercenary activities," according to spokesman Vincent Magwenya. The government did not specify which side of the conflict the South Africans were fighting for.

Under South African law, participating in foreign conflicts as a mercenary or on behalf of another government is illegal unless explicitly authorized by Pretoria.

Diplomatic efforts underway

Magwenya stated authorities are using "diplomatic channels" to secure the men's return. Sixteen of the recruits hail from KwaZulu-Natal province, while one is from the Eastern Cape.

"President Ramaphosa and the South African government strongly condemn the exploitation of vulnerable young people by individuals collaborating with foreign military entities," Magwenya said.

Broader recruitment concerns

Analysts link the vulnerability of recruits to South Africa's unemployment rate, which exceeds 30% and is even higher among youth. The BBC previously reported evidence of Kremlin efforts to expand influence in Africa, including through the Africa Corps-a Russian Ministry of Defence-controlled mercenary group replacing Wagner in West Africa after Yevgeny Prigozhin's death.

In August, Pretoria warned young women against social media job scams, citing cases where recruits were taken to Russia's Alabuga Special Economic Zone to work in drone factories. Over 1,000 women from Africa and South Asia are estimated to have been recruited for Alabuga's weapons production.

Regional trafficking patterns

Kenyan police rescued more than 20 people in September from a suspected trafficking ring that used fake job offers in Russia to funnel recruits into Ukraine's conflict. Ukraine has previously detained foreign nationals-including citizens of Somalia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Cuba, and Sri Lanka-in prisoner-of-war camps.

Kyiv has faced criticism for foreign recruitment drives. In 2022, Senegal summoned Ukraine's ambassador over a Facebook post urging foreigners to enlist, while Nigeria warned it would not tolerate such campaigns, forcing Ukraine to retract its outreach.