SA women’s ministry cautions against Russian ‘job offers’

The ministry for women in South Africa’s presidency cautioned citizens against accepting offers of jobs in Russia being promoted on social media.

The warning comes three days after Bloomberg News reported that firms from Russia, including one that’s been accused of tricking young women into working in a military drone assembly plant, were targeting South Africa to recruit labour.

“The so-called work opportunities advertised on social media for positions in Russia are not facilitated with any government intervention,” the Ministry in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities said in a statement on Monday. “We urge our young people to be vigilant.

Alabuga Start, a recruitment arm of Russia’s Alabuga Special Economic Zone, has been expanding a push it began in 2023 to hire women between the ages of 18 and 22 from Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia to solve a labour shortage at home. Three research reports from groups including the Institute for Science and International Security have alleged that the young women end up working in a drone factory regularly bombed by Ukraine.

The ministry said it will “engage stakeholders” including the Russian Embassy in South Africa and local groups recruiting on behalf of Alabuga about the programme.

On Sunday, Clayson Monyela, head of public diplomacy at South Africa’s foreign ministry, warned about accepting “unverified foreign job offers” in a post on X. He didn’t mention Russia or Alabuga by name.

‘Please warn young people (girls in particular) not to fall for unverified foreign job offers….Some are being promoted by influencers on Tik Tok, Instagram & other SM platforms. Human trafficking syndicates are luring people into all sorts of illegal activities under slave-life…’ posted Clayson Monyela (@ClaysonMonyela).

His ministry last week said it was aware of the Alabuga programme and “is actively investigating reports of foreign programmes that recruit South Africans under false pretenses.”

Monyela said on Monday morning in interview with 702 Talk Radio, that his ministry had helped return one South African woman to the country after she contacted the embassy in Moscow “after realising what was promised wasn’t true.”

“We are extremely worried,” he said. “Influencers have been mobilised to promote these opportunities that look very good on paper.”

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