17 South Africans forced to fight in Ukraine: Families pin hopes on Ramaphosa-Putin talks

THE families of 17 South African men trapped in the epicentre of the fighting in Ukraine's Donbas have pinned hopes of their safe return on the talks between President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. 

The men were lured into fighting for Russian forces in Ukraine.

The South African government said in November it had received "distress calls" from 17 men who were trapped in the Donbas region after being tricked into joining mercenary forces.

Heart-wrenching details of the hardship faced by South African men trapped in the Russia-Ukraine conflict have since emerged, including reports that they are being forced to continue fighting even after being injured and paralysed.

"President Ramaphosa and President Putin pledged their support to the process of returning South Africans fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine," the president's office said in a statement.

"In this regard, teams from both sides will continue their engagements towards the finalisation of this process," it said.

Ukraine's foreign minister said in November that more than 1400 citizens from 36 African countries had been identified among the Russian ranks.

Pretoria warned its citizens last year not to fall for recruitment scams, after multiple social media influencers shared campaigns promising young women jobs in a Russia-based programme that has been accused of abuses.

The families of the 17 men spoke about their plight at a media briefing held in Durban on Tuesday. They said one of the men was severely injured and left paralysed with no feeling in his legs, but because he still has feeling in his hands, he has been told he must continue to fight.

They made a direct plea to President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene and bring the men back home. The families' hopes were renewed after learning that a Kenyan national who was in a similar situation had been released. They also learned from people in Russia that the only way the South Africans could be released is through Ramaphosa's direct intervention.

The relatives are concerned that, in light of the conditions they are facing and the brutal Russian winter, the South Africans are in serious danger.

Phumla Zuma detailed her family's ordeal: “There are about eight children there that come from my family, but all the children that are there are my children. There are 19 children that went there, and two of them from Botswana were last heard from around August 2025.

“Two of the 17 were recently injured; one is in hospital and the other is out of hospital. One lost feeling in his left side, and the Russians say he still has feeling in his hands, and so he must continue to work. We do not know what type of work they expect him to do,” she said.

Zuma spoke of the state of their children: “They are telling us how much danger they are in. They said they are thankful for each and every minute they are able to stay alive. Can you imagine hearing that from your child? This is why we are pleading with the president to intervene,” she said.

She stated that it was the difficult life at home, being jobless, that made their children vulnerable to exploitation.

“If we knew what they were being sent there for, I would never have allowed it. It's painful when you send a WhatsApp message and all you get is that one tick. You think, 'Oh my God, something has happened,' and you get relief when you see the second tick go through. I spoke to my son this morning, and while we were talking, a bomb went off somewhere and I had to cut the call. I pray they are safe.”

Another family member, Delani Zuma, said their brothers are being treated in Russia like black South Africans were under apartheid.

“We are appealing to the government to help us in any way they can. We know the government is not responsible; there are people responsible (for sending them there), but the president is the only one who can help them.”

Another family member added that they feared the contracts these men signed had also condemned them to possibly never coming back from this conflict.

“We were told that our brothers are now property of those with whom they signed contracts, whether they can work or cannot work. We are told that these people can't be released unless the president intervenes. We are panicking as family members because we do not know the danger they are in.”

Cape Times