Brumelda Zuma, daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, has been sworn into parliament less than two weeks after her half-sister stepped down over explosive allegations.
Brumelda was officially inaugurated on Wednesday as one of the newest members of uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), the opposition party led by her father. Her appointment comes shortly after the resignation of her half-sister, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, who left parliament following claims that she deceived 17 South African men into travelling to Russia to fight as mercenaries in the war in Ukraine—allegations she strongly denies.
Brumelda’s arrival in parliament signals Jacob Zuma’s ongoing effort to maintain family representation within the MK ranks. She was sworn in alongside three other MK MPs, whom the party described as bringing “a wealth of experience and dedication” to the legislature. Brumelda, who holds a degree in public administration, said she intends to prioritise improving public services, an area she says aligns with her academic background.
Unlike Duduzile, who previously represented South Africa in the Pan-African Parliament, Brumelda has had a relatively low public profile. MK has insisted that Duduzile chose to resign voluntarily so she could focus on assisting South Africans trapped in the war-torn Donbas region.
The allegations against Zuma-Sambudla emerged after the South African government reported receiving distress calls from more than a dozen men, aged 20 to 39, who said they had been recruited under false pretences and were now stranded in the conflict zone. One of the most prominent accusers is another of Jacob Zuma’s daughters, Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube, who filed a criminal complaint accusing Duduzile and two others of luring the men to Russia and handing them over to a mercenary group without their consent. She claims eight of the trapped men are her relatives. Police have confirmed that an investigation is underway.
Working as a mercenary or fighting for a foreign army without state approval is illegal in South Africa. Zuma-Sambudla has insisted she believed the men were travelling for “lawful” training. She is also currently facing terrorism-related charges linked to social media posts made during the deadly 2021 unrest charges she denies.
Jacob Zuma founded the MK party in 2023 after a bitter split with President Cyril Ramaphosa. MK finished third in last year’s general election and became the official opposition after the second-largest party joined Ramaphosa’s coalition government.
