Influencers Speak Out on MacG Podcast About Russian Recruitment Controversy

South African influencers and content creators Seemah, Munaka, and Ziller opened up about their experiences promoting the controversial Alabuga Russian recruitment campaign in a candid conversation with MacG and Sol Phenduka.

The discussion comes after videos went viral online showing influencers advertising job opportunities for young women in Russia. The clips promoted a two-year “start programme” that promised professional skills and career growth.

Seemah shared how deeply the situation affected her. “I’m hurt. How am I going to get my account back? My name is being dragged. I can’t even defend myself because I don’t have a platform. If I talk on IG there will be like ‘we’re going to block you here also.’ People want to boycott my business,” she said, visibly emotional.

Munaka added her perspective on the fallout, emphasizing accountability. “For me I would have appreciated the agency coming out and saying that we are at fault for putting these influencers in this position because that’s exploitation. You know our power, we are the face. They should have come out and said we are sorry for putting you guys in this position. I feel like people don’t understand the business of influencing. When you get a gig it’s always through an agency. A lot of stuff is in call, I can bring screenshots but it’s not going to paint the full picture. I sent a message this morning before I came here. I was like I’m going to sue you because this is reputational damage. Now we are being labelled as human traffickers and that stuff sticks forever. I would never personally promote anything of that nature.”

Nah, I don’t blame Seemah for crying over losing a 2.8 million followers account on Tik Tok. Losing an account hurts 😭 pic.twitter.com/tx3aHtdGsT

— ツ Oriana (@Oriana_RSA) September 1, 2025

A teaser trailer shared on 1 September 2025 across the Podcast and Chill Network’s social media accounts showed Seemah breaking down in tears over losing her TikTok account, which had 2.8 million followers. Social media user @Oriana_RSA captured the moment and posted it online, writing: “Nah, I don’t blame Seemah for crying over losing a 2.8 million follower account on TikTok.”

Netizens shared mixed reactions in the comments. @PulseOnX said: “That’s her bread, man; she did most of her promos on that platform. Otherwise, it’s a teachable moment for her and other involved influencers. They need to treat themselves like businesses; scepticism and due diligence are very critical when conducting business deals.”

@MelodicVibz added: “I feel bad for her, but what they did was horrible. She has learnt her lesson, and she will be alright.” Meanwhile, @Shika05Maru commented: “At least she gets a second chance to do things again. People have experienced and gone through things that have no redo button because they failed to take the time and check out their business partners.”