Did Zuma’s daughter trick men into fighting for Russia?
The Take
Al Jazeera
4.7 • 748 Ratings
🗓️ 5 December 2025
⏱️ 21 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
South African authorities are investigating how at least 17 men ended up on Russia’s front lines in Ukraine. Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of ex-president Jacob Zuma, is accused of luring the men with promises of job training. She denies it, and says she was also duped. What's next for the Zuma family and for the men still trapped in Ukraine?
In this episode:
- Rachel Savage (@rachelmsavage), Southern Africa correspondent, The Guardian
Episode credits:
This episode was produced by Tracie Hunte, Haleema Shah, Noor Wazwaz, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Diana Ferrero, Farhan Rafid and Fatima Shafiq, Tamara Khandaker, and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Kylene Kiang.
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. This episode was mixed by Rick Rush. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad Al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Al Jazeera Podcasts. |
| 0:07.0 | Today, a trafficking case divides one of South Africa's top political families. |
| 0:17.2 | A week after her own sister opened a criminal case against her for allegedly trafficking South Africans to fight for Russia in Ukraine, |
| 0:25.4 | Doudizhle Zuma Sambudla resigned from Parliament. |
| 0:29.2 | Why former President Jacob Zuma's daughter is accused of luring African men into fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war. |
| 0:37.4 | I'm Malika Bilal, and this is the take. Music into fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war. |
| 0:40.2 | I'm Malika Bilal, and this is the take. |
| 0:47.8 | Hey everyone, as you're watching today's show, |
| 0:50.9 | leave us a comment telling us what you think of the conversation, |
| 0:52.5 | and if you're in South Africa, |
| 0:55.0 | how this news is affecting you there. |
| 1:00.6 | If you're listening to this episode, leave us a review on your podcast app, telling us where you're listening from, and if you like what you hear, feel free to rate us five stars. Thanks. |
| 1:08.5 | My name is Rachel Savage, and I am the Guardian Southern Africa correspondent and I'm based in Johannesburg, South Africa. |
| 1:17.1 | Rachel, welcome to The Take. |
| 1:19.0 | Now, you know that our story today starts as a mystery and quickly morphs into a political thriller with a dash of family drama. |
| 1:32.0 | And that's because last month, South African authorities revealed they were investigating how at least 17 of their nationals |
| 1:39.5 | landed on the front lines of Russia's war in Ukraine. |
| 1:44.2 | But the plot thickened two weeks ago when one of the daughters, |
| 1:48.4 | a former South African president, Jacob Zuma, Dudozile, Zuma, Sambudla, |
| 1:52.8 | was accused of being behind it all. |
| 1:55.7 | And her accuser is her half-sister. |
| 1:59.4 | So help us unpack this. What is Dutuzila actually accused of doing? |
... |
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