A South African radio presenter, Nonkululeko Mantula, 39, accused of recruiting men to fight for Russia in the war in Ukraine, appeared in court on Monday as police expanded investigations into illegal foreign military enlistment.
Mantula was arrested after a tip-off alongside four men she allegedly recruited and arranged to join the Russian army, according to NBC News.
Police said three of the men were detained at an airport while attempting to board a flight to Russia via the United Arab Emirates. Another man is believed to have already travelled to Russia after being recruited by her.
Authorities noted that fighting for another country’s army without government approval is illegal in South Africa. All five suspects were ordered to remain in custody until their bail hearing next week.
Mantula, a presenter with the state broadcaster SAFM, was detained as police continue a separate investigation involving Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former President Jacob Zuma.
She is accused of luring South Africans into travelling to Russia under false pretences.
Zuma-Sambudla resigned last week as an MP for the MK Party after allegations surfaced that she deceived 17 men with promises of training and job opportunities.
She was accused by her half-sister of “duping the men into travelling to Russia under the pretence that they would receive security training that would help them secure jobs.”
The South African government said last month it had received distress calls from the 17 men, who reported being forced to fight for a Russian mercenary group in eastern Ukraine and were unable to leave.
Another political party alleged that their passports and clothes “were burned and their cellphones were confiscated” when they arrived in Russia.
Officials have launched an investigation into how the men ended up on the front lines and say they are working with international law enforcement agencies to repatriate them.
Russia has also been accused of enticing foreign nationals with misleading job offers and of tricking women from South Africa and other African countries into working in drone factories through deceptive social-media campaigns.
The South African government has urged citizens to be cautious of influencers promoting job or study opportunities in Russia.
Zuma-Sambudla has previously faced scrutiny over her stance on the conflict, with a 2023 report by the Centre for Information Resilience stating that her social-media account helped spread pro-Russia messages shortly after the invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.