A South African radio presenter has been arrested and charged alongside four others for allegedly recruiting citizens to join the Russian military, authorities said.

Nankululeko Patricia Mantula, 39, host of the popular program The Morning Bliss on SA FM, appeared in court on Monday with four men aged between 21 and 46. Prosecutors said the group is accused of violating the Foreign Military Assistance Control Act, which prohibits South Africans from joining foreign armed forces without official permission. The defendants have not yet entered pleas.

The arrests follow a November announcement by the South African government that 17 citizens had been misled into “ostensibly” becoming mercenaries for Russia’s conflict in Ukraine. While authorities cautioned against linking the two cases at this stage, they noted the current arrests mark the first enforcement action in such a matter since the earlier government disclosure.

Mantula and SA FM, part of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), have not issued public statements regarding the charges.

South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority confirmed the arrests, emphasising that the case is being pursued under existing legislation aimed at preventing unauthorized participation in foreign military operations.