MK party clarifies why Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla really resigned as MP
Democratic Alliance lays charges against Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla for the alleged luring of South African men to Ukraine The MK Party insists her resignation is voluntary and unrelated to guilt, as scrutiny continues over claims of sending South Africans to the Ukraine conflict.
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THE uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party has confirmed that Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla was not compelled to resign as a Member of Parliament, stressing that her decision to step down does not amount to an admission of guilt in relation to allegations involving South Africans reportedly sent to Russia and later deployed to the Ukraine conflict.
The announcement was made during a press briefing in Durban on Friday.
Magesela Mzobe, head of the party’s presidency, said Zuma-Sambudla’s resignation was voluntary.
“Comrade Dudu was never forced to resign. She volunteered because she wanted to focus on helping families return their loved ones,” he explained.
“She submitted her resignation today because she could not do so without taking the leadership into confidence and getting permission.”
Mzobe emphasized that her decision was not linked to wrongdoing.
“As far as we know, the resignation has nothing to do with an admission of guilt or the organization finding her guilty,” he said.
“She is a disciplined member of the MK and a leader who realized that there is a pressing matter in the country—returning these young people safely home. She requested to be recused from her responsibilities so she could cooperate fully with all organs of the state to find the truth and return these South Africans safely.”
Zuma-Sambudla has faced scrutiny over her alleged involvement in sending 17 South Africans to Russia, where they were later reportedly deployed to the Ukraine war. She has consistently denied the allegations. In addition, she is currently on trial in the Durban High Court over the July 2021 unrest, facing charges of terrorism and incitement to violence.
MK Party chairperson Nathi Nhleko confirmed that the organisation had received a full report from Zuma-Sambudla on the matter. “Comrade Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla confronted the contents of an affidavit provided to the police. She has declared her full cooperation with ongoing investigations by relevant authorities, as a consequence of which she has tendered her resignation from the National Assembly and all public representative responsibilities with immediate effect,” Nhleko said.
He added that national officials had accepted her resignation to support her efforts in ensuring the safe return of the affected South Africans. “It became apparent after the briefing that Comrade Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla is not involved in the Russia–Ukraine matter affecting these young people. Our next step as national officials is to engage the families, explain our position as a party, and support them in their efforts for the safe return of these young people,” he said.
Meanwhile, authorities including the Democratic Alliance (DA) have laid criminal charges against Zuma-Sambudla, alleging her central role in luring South African men to Russia under the guise of bodyguard training linked to the MK Party. The charges include human trafficking and contraventions of South Africa’s anti-mercenary legislation.
The DA said it had received around 100 WhatsApp messages from a group allegedly administered by Zuma-Sambudla, which “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 have corroborated these accounts, saying young men were misled with promises of foreign citizenship, only to have their passports and belongings confiscated and communication with relatives cut off. “This directly contradicts every promise made to them and constitutes clear indicators of trafficking and coercion,” according to the DA.