A daughter of South Africa's former President Jacob Zuma has been sworn into parliament, less than a fortnight after her half-sister was forced to step down.
Brumelda Zuma became one of South Africa's newest MPs on Wednesday, representing uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), the opposition party led by her father.
Her half-sister, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, resigned from parliament following allegations that she had tricked 17 men into fighting for Russia as mercenaries in Ukraine. Zuma-Sambudla has denied these accusations.
Brumelda Zuma's appointment suggests the former president intends to ensure his family is represented in parliament.
She was sworn in alongside three other MK members, who, the party said, bring a wealth of experience and dedication to parliament.
Brumelda stated that she would primarily focus on ensuring that South Africans had good public services because that is what I studied. MK noted that she holds a degree in public administration.
Brumelda Zuma has not previously had a national profile, unlike her half-sister, who had represented South Africa in the Pan-African Parliament.
MK had indicated that it was Zuma-Sambudla's decision to resign as she wanted to concentrate on assisting those trapped in Ukraine's war-torn Donbas region.
South Africa's government had revealed distress calls received from more than a dozen citizens who joined mercenary forces amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Zuma-Sambudla has been accused by another half-sister, Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube, who filed a criminal complaint against her and two others for allegedly luring men under false pretenses.
The legality of working as a mercenary remains a contentious issue under South African law without governmental authorization.
Jacob Zuma's political party, MK, emerged after a notable fallout with the current President Cyril Ramaphosa, securing third place in last year's general elections and now holding position as the primary opposition party in parliament.
