South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has thanked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for helping to secure the return of 17 South Africans allegedly tricked into joining the Russia-Ukraine war.

Last November, the South African government said it had received distress calls from the group of men who had joined mercenary forces in the conflict.

The men believed they were going to Russia for bodyguard training but instead ended up on the front line of the war in Ukraine.

Ramaphosa's office confirmed that four of them had returned last Friday, 11 others would be "on their way home soon" and another two at a later stage. An investigation into their recruitment was ongoing, it added.

Working as a mercenary or fighting on behalf of another government is illegal in South Africa, unless the government authorises it.

Relatives of the men told the BBC that when they had arrived in Russia, they were given contracts to sign but as they were written in Russian they did not understand it was to fight as mercenaries against Ukrainian forces.

Ramaphosa said the South African government, working closely with Russian officials, had secured the men's return home - with most expected back soon. 

"Two remain in Russia with one in a hospital in Moscow, while the other one is being processed before finalising his travel arrangements," his spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said in a statement on Tuesday.

Ramaphosa had spoken to Putin about the situation on 10 February, he explained.

"President Ramaphosa has expressed his heartfelt gratitude to President Vladimir Putin who responded positively to his call to support the process of returning the men home," Magwenya said.

South Africa's embassy in Moscow would continue monitoring the lone citizen still in hospital until he was able to travel home, he added.

The daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, has been named as the alleged recruiter in the scheme, an allegation she denies.

Zuma-Sambudla, who was forced to resign as an MP over the scandal in late November, said in an affidavit that she thought the men - some of whom are her relatives - were going to Russia for "lawful" training. 

"I would not, under any circumstances, knowingly expose my own family or any other person to harm," she added.

The former MP filed her statement with police after her half-sister, Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube, accused her of tricking South Africans to join the war and laid a criminal complaint against her in November. 

In a separate case, police arrested five people in December - including a radio presenter with South Africa's public broadcaster - on a charge related to the alleged recruitment of men for the Russian military.

The five were released on bail - and the trial has yet to start.