Job opportunity or human trafficking? 947’s Anele and The Club call Russian recruitment scheme

947’s Anele and The Club chats more about it.     

Listen below:

News broke over the weekend that the South African government was investigating allegations over recruitment drives dubiously promoting job opportunities abroad.  

Popular TikTok creator Cyan Boujee and several other influencers were blasted on X (formerly Twitter) over promoting opportunities in Russia, BBC News reports.

In now deleted videos, they describe a two-year ‘Alabuga Start Programme’ for young women between the ages of 18 and 22 to kick start their careers.

RELATED: Calls mount for probes into SA influencers punting Russian jobs programme amid concerns of human trafficking

Details around what the job entails and other specific details are where the red flags start coming up.

With South Africa’s unemployment crisis, this raises alarms as many are desperate for work. 

“You are targeting the most vulnerable of society… You know that economically, women are going through a lot.”

– Anele Mdoda

“If you think about international recruitment… it wouldn’t happen via a social media influencer page, especially someone who is not in a specific industry.”

– Thembekile Mrototo

After several attempts to contact anyone at the Alabuga Start Programme, 947 show producer Thato Moloto eventually got through to someone in the Investor Relations Department.

"Can you just talk me through what the programmes are about?” Moloto asks

“This is about you coming to Russia and you are working here. You are gaining some skills, working skills in our factories and you are studying here…. We are providing some housing opportunities."

“How long would a process like this take, in terms of applications?” Motolo asks.

“…about two to three months…”

“And the programme itself?”

“The programme itself lasts about two years… it depends on what programme you choose… It is pretty safe here...She’s be alright.”

“So many red flags… If you were a parent trying to get hold of your child, and you call all these numbers that we have just called, how would you get hold of your child?”

– Anele Mdoda

Investigations are underway and Head of Public Diplomacy at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Clayson Monyela, warns young people to be cautious.

Speaking to Bongani Bingwa on our sister station 702, he says it is extremely worrying.

RELATED: Government warns of Russian job scam targeting young South African women: 'We are extremely worried'

"What particularly worries us with this latest one is that influencers have been mobilised to promote these opportunities that look very good on paper. The reality is, when they get there, the conditions are opposite to what they were promised." 

- Clayson Monyela, Department of International Relations and Cooperation

"The challenge is when these young people fall for these scams, they don't check with us, they don't inform us. We only collide with the information when they discover they are in trouble. That's why we thought it was important to issue the warning."

- Clayson Monyela, Department of International Relations and Cooperation