Wallace Ruzvidzo-Herald Reporter
ZIMBABWEANS have been warned against falling victim to human trafficking syndicates recruiting people to fight in foreign conflicts, particularly the Russia-Ukraine war, amid reports that nine Zimbabweans have been arrested in South Africa while allegedly preparing to travel to the conflict zone.
The nine, aged between 20 and 26, were arrested in and around Johannesburg on Sunday evening by a multidisciplinary team involving the police and Interpol, according to South African authorities.
Five were arrested at OR Tambo International Airport while allegedly preparing to board flights out of the country, while the other four were apprehended at a hotel in Bruma, east of Johannesburg.
They have been charged with contravening South Africa’s Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act, which prohibits mercenary activities without Government authorisation. Their intended final destination was not immediately clear.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Mr Nick Mangwana warned that joining foreign wars was not as financially rewarding as recruitment agencies portrayed, saying that human trafficking syndicates stood to benefit from recruits’ deaths and contractual earnings.
“Joining foreign wars like the one between Russia and Ukraine is not as lucrative as the agencies (i.e. human traffickers) may make it sound. These agencies are not eager for you to come out alive, because they profit from your death.
“Remember, they are paid your salary plus their own fee, and out of that they are supposed to pay you.
“They say they will pay you your signing on fee and other contractual dues after your services,” he wrote on his official X handle.
Mr Mangwana said even those who survived the fighting risked being cheated out of their promised earnings, as recruitment agencies could withhold payments despite receiving the money on their behalf.
“First, if you do survive, they refuse to pay you your signing on fee and other contractual dues, and you have nowhere to turn.”
“You cannot even approach your Government for support, because the Government cannot help you recover the proceeds of an illegal enterprise.
“Second, they prefer that you die at the front, because then you become less of a problem to them: they keep all the money, and your estate has no capacity to claim your dues,” he said.
The arrests in South Africa underscore growing concerns over the recruitment of African nationals into the Russia-Ukraine conflict through alleged deceptive employment arrangements.
