Sihle Makhaye, a 44-year-old man from KZN, tragically lost his life in Russia after being recruited with promises of employment.
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A woman from Umzinyathi District Municipality in northern KwaZulu-Natal has appealed for urgent government assistance to repatriate the remains of her husband, who died in Russia.
Sbonile Ndwandwe, a mother of three from Kranskop, contacted KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport and Human Settlements Siboniso Duma after receiving news on March 28 that her husband, Sihle Makhaye, 44, had died.
In a statement, the MEC's office said on Friday that they received messages from Ndwandwe that her husband had died in Russia after he was recruited to go work in that country along with 12 other men by an agent.
It is believed that Ndwandwe’s husband was recruited to fight in the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war, although full details surrounding his role and death remain unclear.
There have been other KwaZulu-Natal residents who were recruited with the promise of security work in Russia but later found themselves on the front line of the conflict. Some of them were repatriated after the intervention of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Ndwandwe said her husband left South Africa on 24 December 2025 but was “secretive about the whole matter”.
“I don’t have enough information about that because he did not tell me everything,” she said.
Ndwandwe said she was later informed that her husband had died and that the group he travelled with had been expected to return to South Africa over the Easter weekend. She added that the agent who facilitated their travel “is no longer reachable”.
“I am unemployed and don’t have the means to get him back. I want the father of my children to be buried at home in our Zulu customs,” she said.
She further stated that she had been presented with options following his death, including “a military burial in Russia” or “the cremation and repatriation of the mortal remains, with expenses covered by the wife”.
“All of the above will be conducted in the presence of a family who must fly to Russia,” she said.
“I wish that we may get his remains so that his children would know where he’s buried and have closure.”
The MEC’s office said Ndwandwe lives in a mud house and an RDP house built shortly after 1994 and has sought assistance through her local councillor due to financial constraints.
Duma has since tasked the Human Settlements head of department, Max Mbili, to lead a team to “do the profiling of the family”. He is also liaising with Minister of International Relations Ronald Lamola to seek guidance on the repatriation process.
“The MEC has mandated his office to bridge the gap between the wife and all spheres of government,” spokesperson Ndabezinhle Sibiya said.
Duma is expected to visit the family once his schedule allows, with details of the visit to be confirmed.
The MEC has conveyed his condolences to the family and wished them strength during what he described as a difficult period.
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