Brumelda Zuma, one of the daughters of South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma, has officially taken her seat in parliament — stepping in just days after her half-sister Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla abruptly resigned.
Brumelda now joins the ranks of MPs representing uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), the opposition party founded and led by Jacob Zuma. Her appointment signals Zuma’s intention to keep strong family representation within the party’s growing political influence.
Brumelda was sworn in alongside three newly appointed MK lawmakers, with the party praising their commitment and experience. She said her main priority is to help improve public service delivery across South Africa, drawing from her academic background in public administration.
Her rise follows the unexpected resignation of Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, who stepped down after facing allegations that she recruited 17 South African men to fight as mercenaries for Russia in Ukraine. She has refuted the claims.
The allegations came after South Africa’s government confirmed it had received distress calls from more than a dozen men, aged 20 to 39, trapped in Ukraine’s war-torn Donbas region. One of Duduzile’s fiercest critics is another half-sister, Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube, who filed a criminal complaint claiming the men were misled with false job promises and handed over to a Russian mercenary group.
South African law prohibits citizens from working as mercenaries or joining foreign military forces without state authorization. Police say investigations are ongoing.
Duduzile also faces a separate trial on terrorism-related charges linked to her social media posts during the deadly unrest in 2021 — charges she denies.
Jacob Zuma founded MK in 2023 after a major political fallout with President Cyril Ramaphosa. The party surged to third place in last year’s general election and currently leads the parliamentary opposition after the second-largest party joined Ramaphosa’s coalition government.