News24 | SAfm presenter, 4 co-accused granted bail in Russian military recruitment case

An SAfm presenter and her four co-accused were granted bail in a Russian military recruitment case at the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

• Five suspects linked to alleged recruiting for the Russian military have been granted bail in amounts ranging from R5 000 to R30 000.
• Nonkululeko Mantula, a prominent broadcaster, is accused of being the “main planner” after travelling to Russia multiple times.
• The court restricted Mantula’s travel within South Africa and withheld her laptop for investigation under the Cybercrimes Act.

Five people arrested at OR Tambo International Airport on charges linked to recruitment for the Russian military were granted bail in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

Nonkululeko Mantula, a senior broadcaster at SAfm, was granted bail of R30 000, Xolani Ntuli, 46, was granted R15 000 bail, while the other three accused, Thulani Mazibuko, 24, Siphamandla Chabalala, 23, and Sifiso Mabena, 21, were each granted bail of R5 000.

They have been charged under a law prohibiting South Africans from providing military assistance to foreign entities.

The State did not object to granting bail.

During Monday’s proceedings, the State did, however, oppose the defence’s request to return Mantula’s passport. The court was informed that she needed to travel to Venezuela on Tuesday. Mantula also requested the return of her confiscated laptop, claiming she required it for work purposes.

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Prosecutor Pieter Erasmus told the court that it was the State’s case that Mantula was the “main planner” of the recruitment process and had travelled to Russia at least five times in September.

“It will put unnecessary strain on the investigating officer to keep tabs on her when she needs to travel.

“The laptop has been seized in terms of the [Cybercrimes Act]. The download has not even commenced, and it is impossible to hand the laptop back to her at such short notice,” Erasmus said.

The court also heard that one of the accused, 46-year-old Ntuli, had a previous conviction of reckless and negligent driving from 30 years ago.

Due to this conviction, Ntuli was the only one who had to submit an affidavit to court. In his affidavit, he said at the time of the offence in 1993, he was 15 years old and he paid an admission of guilt fine of R1.

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Ntuli also denied having any involvement in the recruitment process. He said he was arrested on 28 November at his home as he was getting ready to board a flight to Russia.

“I was informed that I am suspected of engaging in activities that the authorities construe as lending assistance to the Russian armed forces. I was shocked to the bone,” he said.

He added that he had no military knowledge or background.

Mantula, who is also a TV presenter, was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport on 27 November for her alleged role in recruiting South Africans to serve in the Russian military.

Three of Mantula’s co-accused were arrested first at the airport following a tip-off that they were en route to Russia, via the United Arab Emirates. They were removed from the boarding gate as suspicious and referred to the Hawks’ Crimes Against the State section.

The Hawks said preliminary investigations revealed that Mantula had been facilitating the travel and recruitment of people into the Russian Federation military. She was arrested upon her return from an international trip.

The court ordered that Mantula could only travel within the borders of the country and needed to inform the investigating officer of her movements.

The case has been postponed to 10 February 2026 for further investigation.