SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
The South African government is scrambling to bring home 17 men who say they were deceived into fighting for Russia in Ukraine. It is not the first instance of Africans being lured into becoming mercenaries in the Russia-Ukraine war, as NPR's Kate Bartlett reports from Johannesburg.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Yeah. (Non-English language spoken).
KATE BARTLETT, BYLINE: This is a voice note from one of a group of young South African men who found themselves tricked into fighting with Russia against Ukraine. He's desperate and is pleading for help. He's in a truck with 50 strangers packed with military equipment, and he thinks they're being taken to the front line.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Non-English language spoken).
BARTLETT: It's one of numerous voice notes NPR has heard sent by the men in Donbas in the east of Ukraine to their contacts in South Africa. We are not using their names for their safety.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
VINCENT MAGWENYA: The president and the South African government strongly condemn the exploitation of young, vulnerable people by individuals working with foreign military entities.
BARTLETT: Earlier this month, Vincent Magwenya, spokesman for the South African president, said the government had received distress calls from 17 South African men ages 20 to 39, trapped in Donbas. Two are already believed to have been killed. The South Africans aren't the first, says Darren Olivier, a defense analyst.
DARREN OLIVIER: We have seen some evidence of an increasing number of African citizens being recruited to go and fight in the Russian army - some through false pretenses, but some knowing what they're getting into.
BARTLETT: It's a story of poor men trafficked to be mercenaries, but also a story with a Shakespearean twist, a tale of two warring half-sisters from one of South Africa's most powerful political dynasties. Nkosazana Bonganini Zuma-Mncube and Duduzile Sambudla-Zuma, both daughters of former President Jacob Zuma - now leader of the opposition party, uMkhonto weSizwe - are at the center.
Last week, Nkosazana accused her half-sister of tricking the men into going to Russia. Duduzile then said she was duped too, claiming the men were only going for bodyguard training. On Friday, Duduzile resigned as a member of Parliament from her father's party. It was announced by the party's chairman, Nkosinathi Nhleko.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
NKOSINATHI NHLEKO: Comrade Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla has declared her full cooperation with the ongoing investigations by relevant authorities.
BARTLETT: Some of the men's families have said they were offered large sums of money to go. Defense analyst Olivier again.
OLIVIER: This is being done primarily through a network of brokers and recruiters who receive bonuses for each person that they find, and it's a lot easier to convince somebody who's living in the developing world.
BARTLETT: Ukraine's ambassador to South Africa, Olexander Scherba, said the men fighting for Russia were beyond Kyiv's control but urged them to surrender.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
OLEXANDER SCHERBA: I just want to tell African nationals, it's not a war. Even if there is some money, it won't make anyone proud.
BARTLETT: A spokesman for the Russian embassy in South Africa did not respond to NPR's request for an interview. Many African nations who have close historic ties to Russia from the Cold War years have assumed an officially neutral position on the invasion of Ukraine. But governments are now actively warning their citizens not to fall prey to recruitment scams, or they could end up dying in a war on the other side of the world that has nothing to do with them. Kate Bartlett, NPR News, Johannesburg. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.