A daughter of South Africa's former President Jacob Zuma has been sworn into parliament, less than a fortnight after her half-sister was forced to step down.
Brumelda Zuma became one of South Africa's newest MPs on Wednesday, representing uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), the opposition party led by her father.
Her half-sister, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, resigned from parliament following allegations that she had tricked 17 men into fighting for Russia as mercenaries in Ukraine. Zuma-Sambudla has denied these accusations.
Brumelda Zuma's appointment suggests the former president intends to ensure his family is represented in parliament.
She was sworn in alongside three other MK members, who, the party said, bring a wealth of experience and dedication to parliament.
She said she would focus mostly on ensuring that South Africans had good public services because that is what I studied. MK said Brumelda Zuma had a degree in public administration.
Brumelda Zuma has not previously had a national profile, unlike her half-sister who had represented South Africa in the Pan-African Parliament.
MK previously said it was Zuma-Sambudla's decision to resign as she wanted to focus her efforts on ensuring the return of those trapped in Ukraine's war-torn Donbas region. She was implicated in the Russia recruitment scheme after South Africa's government revealed it had received distress calls from more than a dozen citizens who had joined mercenary forces.
The men are aged between 20 and 39 and are trapped in Donbas. One of Zuma-Sambudla's most prominent accusers is another half-sister, Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube, who filed a criminal complaint against her, accusing her of luring the men to Russia under false pretences. Police have confirmed they are carrying out an investigation.
Working as a mercenary or fighting for another army is illegal under South African law, unless the government authorises it. Zuma-Sambudla has claimed she thought the men were going to Russia for lawful training.
The political landscape continues to shift as Jacob Zuma formed MK in 2023 after a fallout with current President Cyril Ramaphosa. The MK party came in third place in South Africa's general election last year, establishing itself as the main opposition party in parliament.
