Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin at the BRICS summit that took place in October in the Russian city of Kazan, photo: Maxim Shipenkov / AP / Profimedia
The Ministry of Women of the Presidency of South Africa has warned the citizens not to accept job offers in Russia promoted on social networks, reports the Bloomberg Agency.
The warning comes three days after Bloomberg News reported that companies from Russia, including an accused that young women have cheated on a military drone assembly factory, aims at South Africa for recruitment of labor.
South Africa is one of the member countries of BRICS, an international organization, of which only Brazil, Russia, India and China have been part. Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Iran, Ethiopia and several other countries have joined BRICS in the last two years.
“The so-called work opportunities promoted on social networks for jobs in Russia are not facilitated by any government intervention,” said the Ministry of Presidency for Women, Youth and people with disabilities in a statement. “We urge our young people to be vigilant,” the South African Ministry stressed.
Alabuga Start, the Recruitment Division of the Special Economic Zone Alabuga in Russia, has expanded its campaign in 2023 to hire women between the ages of 18 and 22 in Africa, Latin and Southeast Asia, in an attempt to cover the labor deficit from the internally. Three research reports, including the Institute for International Science and Security, claimed that young people get to work in a drone factory frequently bombarded by Ukraine.
The South African Ministry has said that it will “have discussions with interested parties”, including the Russian Embassy in South Africa and with local groups recruiting Alabuga, in relation to this program.
On Sunday, Clayson Monyela, the head of public diplomacy of the South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs, warned in an X post on the acceptance of “unverified work offers”. He did not explicitly mention Russia or Alabuga.
Last week, his ministry said he was aware of the Alabuga program and that he “actively investigates the reports on foreign programs that recruit South Africans under false pretexts.”
