Harare,
Zimbabwe
– Elvis
Sitshela
remains
deeply
unsettled
by
the
sudden
departure
of
his
brother,
Dumisani,
to
Russia
in
early
2026.
Dumisani
left
in
complete
secrecy,
without
telling
the
family,
until
a
shocking
text
arrived
from
an
international
number.
“Hi,
brother,
I
am
in
Russia
now.
It’s
me,
Dumisani,”
recalled
Elvis,
who
requested
his
real
name
be
withheld
for
safety.
“He
was
unemployed
for
a
long
time
and
tried
to
settle
in
South
Africa,
but
it
didn’t
work
out;
he
returned
home
last
December.
By
January,
he
was
gone,”
Elvis
said.
Weeks
later,
the
family
received
more
troubling
news:
A
neighbour
who
had
travelled
with
Dumisani
was
killed
in
Ukraine,
where
Russia
has
been
waging
a
full-scale
war
for
the
past
four
years.
“I
am
appealing
to
the
Zimbabwean
and
Russian
governments
to
work
together
to
bring
our
brothers
home,”
he
added,
urging
officials
in
Harare
and
Moscow
to
act
before
it
is
too
late.
Trafficking
charges
In
late
March,
four
people
appeared
before
Harare
Magistrates’
Court
facing
human
trafficking
charges.
The
group
is
accused
of
sending
Zimbabweans
to
Russia,
where
the
victims
were
allegedly
forced
to
participate
in
Moscow’s
war
on
Ukraine.
The
accused
–
Obert
Hlavati,
Tonderai
Maphosa,
Tanaka
Malcon
Gwarada,
and
Edson
Dudzayi
Nyamudeza
–
were
not
asked
to
plead
during
their
appearance
before
Magistrate
Jessi
Kufa.
According
to
the
prosecution,
the
four
conspired
with
a
Russian
national
named
Ivan
to
traffic
six
Zimbabweans
to
Russia.
Separately,
a
few
days
ago,
security
officials
at
the
Joshua
Mqabuko
Nkomo
international
airport
intercepted
two
brothers
attempting
to
board
a
flight
to
Russia.
Although
the
pair
claimed
they
were
travelling
to
attend
a
university
open
event
in
Moscow,
authorities
grew
suspicious
and
prevented
them
from
leaving.
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While
these
incidents
remain
isolated,
the
larger
problem
persists:
Zimbabweans
continue
dying
in
Russia’s
war.
State
intervention
Elvis’s
plea
to
the
Zimbabwean
and
Russian
governments
to
bring
his
brother
home
comes
as
Zimbabwean
authorities
confirm
that
a
growing
number
of
citizens
have
died
while
serving
with
Russian
forces.
Government
spokesperson
Nick
Mangwana
said
Harare
is
working
to
repatriate
four
citizens
killed
in
Ukraine.
“Zimbabweans
have
been
trafficked
as
foreign
fighters.
Eighteen
have
died
abroad,
yet
the
government
can
repatriate
only
four;
the
others
are
held
up
by
documentation
problems,”
Mangwana
said
on
X.
Minister
of
Information
Zhemu
Soda
blamed
predatory
employment
agencies
that
promise
high
salaries
and
secure
work
to
lure
desperate
job
seekers
into
conflict
zones.
Zimbabweans
have
been
trafficked
as
foreign
fighters.
Eighteen
have
died
abroad,
yet
the
government
can
repatriate
only
four;
the
others
are
held
up
by
documentation
problems
“Our
citizens
are
being
preyed
upon
by
unscrupulous
networks
who
operate
with
complete
disregard
for
human
life,”
Soda
told
a
news
briefing
in
Harare
on
March
25.
He
warned
that
traffickers
use
social
media
to
target
young
people.
Former
Senator
Tshepiso
Helen
Mpofu
urged
people
to
be
cautious
of
job
advertisements
circulating
online.
“Our
young
people
must
verify
opportunities
before
applying,
especially
those
abroad,
and
not
fall
for
schemes
that
promise
wealth
or
stability,”
Mpofu
said.
She
called
on
the
government
to
focus
on
economic
empowerment
and
genuine
job
creation
while
engaging
Russia
to
prevent
citizens
from
being
exploited
in
military
service.
Forced
enlistment
“Upon
arrival
in
Russia,
recruits
are
reportedly
met
by
men
in
military
uniform.
They
are
placed
on
buses
and
taken
to
army
barracks,
where
the
process
quickly
turns
dangerous,”
explained
veteran
journalist
Ezra
Sibanda,
whose
investigation
into
recruitment
networks
gained
traction
in
early
March.
“At
the
barracks,
they
are
processed,
fingerprinted,
and
pressured
into
signing
military
contracts.
Their
passports
and
phones
are
confiscated,
and
they
undergo
brief
training
lasting
10
days
to
a
month,”
Sibanda
said.
Through
live
Facebook
broadcasts,
Sibanda
confronted
Zimbabweans
on
the
front
lines
and
their
alleged
recruiters.
His
investigation
revealed
a
sophisticated
cross-border
network
that
lures
recruits
with
financial
incentives,
targeting
those
struggling
economically.
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“A
Zimbabwean
known
as
‘Tshaka
the
Zulu,’
originally
from
the
Matobo
region
and
formerly
based
in
South
Africa,
is
operating
out
of
Moscow,
alongside
a
Russian
national
known
as
‘Poma’,”
Sibanda
told
Al
Jazeera.
“They
are
the
ringleaders.
Their
networks
across
Zimbabwe
and
South
Africa
are
secretive
and
decentralised,
making
it
nearly
impossible
to
determine
how
many
people
have
been
sent
to
the
front
lines.”
arrival
in
Russia,
the
recruits
are
reportedly
met
by
men
in
military
uniform
and
transported
to
army
barracks
[Ezra
Sibanda/Al
Jazeera]
Sibanda
noted
that
the
network’s
activities
are
contributing
to
the
continuing
casualties
among
Zimbabweans
deployed
abroad.
Efforts
by
Al
Jazeera
to
reach
“Tshaka
the
Zulu”,
“Poma”,
and
other
alleged
recruitment
agents
in
Zimbabwe
and
South
Africa
were
unsuccessful,
with
multiple
calls
and
text
messages
going
unanswered.
Enticing
wages
Sibanda
noted
that
Zimbabweans,
particularly
those
living
in
South
Africa,
are
being
enticed
by
life-altering
sums,
a
reported
sign-on
bonus
of
up
to
$37,000,
followed
by
monthly
wages
of
approximately
$4,000.
However,
the
job
advertisement
is
often
a
deadly
bait-and-switch.
Some
believe
they
are
joining
the
military;
others
are
misled
into
thinking
they
will
work
as
truck
drivers
or
in
construction,
only
to
discover
the
truth
once
it
is
too
late.
“Most
of
the
promises
made
to
them
are
not
fulfilled.
In
some
cases,
a
small
amount,
around
$2,000,
is
reportedly
sent
to
their
families
back
home
via
South
Africa,
but
thereafter,
many
receive
nothing
further,”
Sibanda
added.
Recognising
the
urgency,
Sibanda
began
engaging
the
Zimbabwean
government
directly.
The
impetus
came
from
the
soldiers
themselves,
he
said.
Multiple
Zimbabweans
stationed
on
the
front
lines
had
reached
out
to
him
with
a
desperate
request
to
see
if
their
government
could
intervene
and
help
them
return
home.
“I
have
engaged
the
government
of
Zimbabwe
on
this
matter
and
am
happy
with
their
positive
response,”
said
Sibanda.
“They
have
shown
interest
to
assist,
and
are
currently
working
on
compiling
details
of
Zimbabweans
who
may
have
been
recruited
into
these
mercenary
operations
linked
to
the
Russian
army,
so
I
will
provide
them
to
the
authorities,”
he
said.
“It
is
important
to
note
that
many
of
these
individuals
left
to
join
without
the
knowledge
or
approval
of
Zimbabwean
authorities.
The
situation
is
further
complicated
by
the
fact
that
recruitment
is
reportedly
taking
place
in
South
Africa,
making
it
difficult
for
the
government
to
monitor
or
protect
its
citizens,
as
there
is
no
clear
oversight
or
record
of
the
agencies
involved.”