Six Zimbabweans Plead Guilty in South Africa to Planning to Join Russia's Military

Six Zimbabwean men arrested in South Africa on July 21 pleaded guilty on Friday, October 9, 2026 to planning to use South Africa as a transit point on their way to join the Russian military according to News24. The men are Soul Magaya, Stembiso Mlalazi, Prince Calvin Tinarwo, Tatenda Muchete, Brighton Muripa, and Victor Shoshore.

According to the report, four of the six expected a $25,000 sign-on bonus and monthly salaries of $2,500, while the other two helped arrange their travel. The men had been in contact with a Russian recruitment agent, who is not named in the report.

Suspended Sentences

Under a plea and sentence agreement between the state and defence counsel, each man will receive a five-year prison sentence, wholly suspended for five years. They will avoid jail provided they do not commit a similar offence during that period, including violating South Africa's Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act, which prohibits unauthorised foreign military assistance.

Part of a Wider Pattern

In South Aftica Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of former South African president Jacob Zuma, resigned as a lawmaker in November 2025 after her half-sister accused her of luring 17 South African men to Russia with promises of security training. Zuma-Sambudla has denied wrongdoing, and she has not been formally charged yet in that recruitment case. Earlier this year Ukraine's "I Want to Live" published list of 69 South Africans whom Russia has lured into its army.

A Safe Way Out

Foreign nationals lured into Russia's armed forces have an option to safely escape the battlefield with Ukraine's "I Want to Live" project which helped numerous victims of Russia's predatory recruitment safely escape the battlefield. Read more details here.