President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered an urgent investigation into the recruitment of 17 South African men allegedly lured into mercenary activities in Ukraine’s war-torn Donbas region, the Presidency announced on Thursday.
The men, aged between 20 and 39, reportedly travelled to eastern Ukraine under the guise of lucrative employment contracts but now find themselves trapped in the conflict zone. Sixteen are from KwaZulu-Natal and one from the Eastern Cape.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered an investigation into the circumstances that led to the recruitment of these young men into these seemingly mercenary activities,” the Presidency said in a statement.
“The South African government is working through diplomatic channels to secure the return of these young men following their calls for assistance to return home.”
The Presidency condemned the exploitation of vulnerable youth by individuals linked to foreign military entities and reaffirmed South Africa’s legal stance on foreign combat involvement.
Under the Foreign Military Assistance Act of 1998, South African citizens are prohibited from providing military assistance to foreign governments or joining foreign armed forces without prior authorisation.
The incident has raised fresh concerns about the use of foreign fighters in the Russia-Ukraine conflict where both sides have reportedly enlisted international volunteers and private military contractors.
The Donbas region, occupied in part by Russian-backed separatists since 2014, has been a focal point of intense fighting since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
While Ukraine has openly recruited foreign volunteers through its International Legion, reports have also surfaced of individuals being misled into combat roles or coerced into joining paramilitary groups.
South African authorities are now investigating whether the 17 men were knowingly recruited as mercenaries or deceived into participating in the conflict.
JN/APA