At least two South Africans have died in Russia war, says foreign minister

Eleven men landed back in South Africa on Wednesday, part of a group of 17 who requested help from Pretoria after they were trapped for months in the epicentre of the fighting in Ukraine's Donbas region.

Four arrived back home last week, while two remained in Russia to receive medical treatment for "very severe" injuries, Lamola said.

"There are other South Africans that we have since discovered were part of the process, and... we have since discovered that some have also died," Lamola told state broadcaster SABC.

The government was "notified by the Russian embassy" of two men who had died, he said, who had been "part of another recruitment drive or another scheme".

The minister did not specify how many South Africans remained on the frontlines.

The first group of 17 men were allegedly sent to Russia for security guard training by the opposition Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party, which is headed by ex-president Jacob Zuma, South Africa's leader between 2009 and 2018.

One of Zuma's daughters, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, resigned from parliament after claims she was involved in recruiting the men.

"The 17 that were recruited through the processes that involved the MK party... are all back, except those that could not travel due to medical reasons," Lamola said.

"Whoever was responsible to recruit these young people into this ordeal must be held accountable," he said.

South African law prohibits its citizens from fighting for a foreign country's army without government authorisation.

Ukraine said on Wednesday that more than 1,780 citizens from 36 African countries had been identified among Russia's ranks, and that some of them had been captured.