The President of the Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, has ordered an investigation into the recruitment of South African citizens to participate in the conflict in Ukraine, according to a statement issued by the Office of the President of the Republic of South Africa.
"The South African government has received requests for help from 17 South African men between the ages of 20 and 39, who ended up in Donbas," the report said.
Citizens of the Republic of South Africa have been tricked into joining mercenaries fighting in Ukraine under the guise of lucrative employment contracts. President Ramaphosa has ordered an investigation into the circumstances that led to the recruitment of these young men into mercenary groups.
The South African government is working through diplomatic channels to secure the return of these young men to their homeland.
Among those surrounded are 16 people from the South African state of KwaZulu-Natal and another from the Eastern Cape. The exact location of the South African citizens seeking help in Donbas is not disclosed.
