They are grateful to the President of Russia, Mr. Vladimir Putin, for intervening in the release of 17 men from this country, who were lured to fight in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
This was said by the Minister in the Office of the President, Ms. Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, when she spoke about leaving the Cabinet meeting.
He said the investigation into how these people were drugged and who were part of this, is ongoing. There are currently 15 who have returned to the country, who arrived this week.
“The investigation will reveal all the allegations, including the fact that R14 million was paid to someone in this country so that these men would fight this war. These men, aged 20 to 39, did not sign an agreement with Russia, but it was something they did with the security agencies, which attracted them to fight this war. Now the Minister of International Relations, Mr. Ronald Lamola, KwaZulu-Natal, has met with the families of these They are the ones who asked the government to intervene so that they could be returned home.
He said they are happy that they came back safely, he said one of them is still in the hospital in the country and he will come back when he is approved by the doctor to return to the country.
“One is still preparing his things so that he can return to the country. The law of the land was violated by sending people to fight an unauthorized war in the country, so strict action will be taken against those involved in this matter,” said Ms. Ntshavheni who said that President Cyril Ramaphosa called Putin, urging him to intervene in the matter earlier this month.
In this incident, the daughter of the leader of the MKP party, Mr Jacob Zuma, Mrs Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, who eventually resigned from Parliament, is suspected of having played a role in luring these men to fight this war. The DA filed a case against him and wanted his role in the matter to be investigated.
Ms Ntshavheni urged livestock owners to ensure that their animals are vaccinated as there has been an outbreak of tuberculosis.
“The livestock vaccination program will take place for 12 months and more and 28 million vaccinations are needed to do this work. There are 2 million vaccinations to start this program and 14 million livestock need to be vaccinated.”
He pointed out that the Cabinet has approved the anti-poverty budget, and said that the latest crime statistics, which show a decrease in murders, bring hope.
“We are worried about the increase in the number of police killings, since in the quarter where the statistics were released, it was found that 23 were killed. 80% of them die on the job.”
He said that millions of money that was lost when there were a few who controlled the State, was brought back, which came from the commission of Judge Raymond Zondo.
He also mentioned that there is a glimmer of hope in the level of unemployment in the country even though the economy is growing slowly.
“The allowance for the unemployed will continue as it appeared in the budget speech. This allowance was not for the unemployed, but was created to help those who were hungry during the Covid-19 epidemic. There are still discussions in this country regarding the budget for the unemployed.”