The South African Government is urging young women to be cautious about enticing foreign job offers being circulated online, including “work experience” opportunities linked to Russia’s Alabuga Start programme.
It comes after some influencers on social media, especially TikTok, have been promoting this programme.
The Alabuga Start programme was launched in 2022 by the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan, Russia, and has been extensively marketed to young women from Africa, Latin America, and Asia to start new careers abroad.
It has been promoted as a “career without borders”, offering free relocation, housing, vocational training, and paid employment in Russia.
But Clayson Monyela, Head of Public Diplomacy at DIRCO, has warned young girls in particular not to fall for unverified recruitment schemes promoted on TikTok, Instagram, and other social media platforms.
He cautioned that human trafficking syndicates often use such tactics to lure people into slave-like working conditions abroad. He urged anyone considering overseas opportunities to first consult DIRCO or South Africa’s embassies in the destination country.
Please warn young people (girls in particular) not to fall for unverified foreign job offers….Some are being promoted by influencers on Tik Tok, Instagram & other SM platforms. Human trafficking syndicates are luring people into all sorts of illegal activities under slave-life…
— Clayson Monyela (@ClaysonMonyela) August 24, 2025
The jobs being advertised under Alabuga Start reportedly span construction, hospitality, and production sectors, but there have been allegations that participants may also end up working in drone manufacturing and other military-related industries.
Deputy Minister Steve Letsike from the Department of Women confirmed to local news media that the Department is monitoring the rise of unsolicited foreign job offers targeting South African youth.
He says this particular programme has raised some red flags, and they are engaging with the Russian government. Letsike expressed concern that the programme is targeting 18-20-year-old women.
It is unclear how many South African women may already have been recruited or relocated to Russia.
Justice Minister Ronald Lamola is also in discussions with Russia and awaiting formal feedback, but in the meantime, young South Africans have been asked to be cautious.
📢 Post Interview
📺 Deputy Minister @msletsike was on @Newzroom405 this morning, discussing the rise of unsolicited foreign job offers targeting South African youth and the risks associated with them.
Click on the link to watch https://t.co/xZZLtMxObK#GovZAUpdates
— Dept of Women, Youth & Persons with Disabilities (@DWYPD_ZA) August 26, 2025
The Russian Embassy in South Africa has since responded, saying it had “taken note of the growing concerns” following a Bloomberg investigation into Alabuga Start.
The Embassy has, however, rejected accusations of human trafficking or forced labour as “unfounded allegations” based on biased reporting.
It insisted that there was no evidence of foreign nationals being tricked or exploited under the programme, pointing to positive testimonials from participants published on the official Alabuga Start website.
The Embassy added that a full list of companies operating in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone is publicly available online, suggesting that critics could verify the nature of the work offered.
