A well-known social media influencer is under fire for promoting the two-year-long “Alabuga Start” programme promising lucrative job opportunities in Russia.
Other influencers also joined in promoting Alabuga Start, which they described as an international programme designed for young women aged 18 to 22 from countries in Africa, Latin America, and South and Southeast Asia.
The programme purports to provide them with the opportunity to relocate to Russia and develop their careers.
However, they find themselves working at a drone manufacturing plant in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan, Russia, alongside students as young as 16 years old.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) and the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) strongly warn against falling for unverified job opportunities exploiting South Africa’s soaring youth unemployment.
Interest in the scam comes as SA’s youth unemployment rate increased from 44.6% in the fourth quarter of 2024, to 46.1% in the first quarter of 2025.
“Although we recognise that South Africa faces unacceptably high youth unemployment, especially among young women, this harsh reality must never be exploited through false job offers,” said the DWYPD in a statement.
It also confirmed that the work opportunities advertised on social media for positions in Russia are not facilitated or endorsed by government, noting that all legitimate international employment opportunities are organised through official diplomatic channels and formal bilateral agreements.
It urged young people to exercise extreme caution when engaging with unsolicited offers for international employment, particularly those distributed via social media and other online platforms.
The influencer’s posts, shared widely on TikTok and Instagram, targeted young South African women with promises of legitimate foreign employment opportunities. Behind the glamorous filters, the reality turned out to be a dangerous deception.
When government exposed the truth, the influencer hastily removed the video from her pages.
Clayson Monyela, DIRCO head of public diplomacy, warned that human trafficking syndicates often disguise their operations through social media.
“Human trafficking syndicates are luring people into all sorts of illegal activities under slave-life conditions. If something looks too good to be true, get a second opinion. Contact the department or any of our embassies in the country of interest,” he said.
Reports are emerging that young women who travelled for the offer found themselves in conditions nothing like what was promised. Instead of meaningful work, they were tasked with assembling military equipment, an outcome far removed from the “career opportunity” they were sold.
Speaking in a radio interview on 702, Monyela reiterated his warning: young job-seekers must always verify opportunities through official sources. He stressed that such schemes prey on South Africa’s crippling unemployment.
“The genesis of all of this is that we do have a problem of youth unemployment in this country and, therefore, young people are looking for opportunities overseas.”
“Most of the women interviewed by AP said that life at Alabuga did not meet their expectations. Four of the women interviewed said they had to work shifts of up to 12 hours and that they had inconsistent days off,” The Moscow Times reported.
Bloomberg reported that the Alabuga zone has been accused in three research reports from organisations, including the Institute for Science and International Security, of deceiving African women into working at the plant that assembles Shahed 136 kamikaze drones.
Meanwhile, the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster has warned young people of falling for illegitimate and unverified opportunities targeting women, and announced an investigation into these issues.
“The video clip circulated by a social media influencer, which purports to promote a two-year-long ‘start programme’ targeting young women in acquiring professional skills and commencing their careers, is currently under investigation.
“Notably, the author of the post has since removed the promotional video from her social media platforms,” the statement read.
The cluster has advised job-seekers not to depend solely on social media promotions. It urged them to cross-check information and seek a second opinion from a trusted source.
The cluster also encouraged young people to verify job opportunities through official channels, including the DIRCO, and to contact South African embassies in the countries where these opportunities are located.
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