Nine foreign nationals, aged between 20 and 26, have been arrested in Gauteng following an intelligence-driven operation into an alleged attempt to leave South Africa and join the Russia-Ukraine war. The arrests took place on Sunday, 8 November, at O.R. Tambo International Airport and a hotel in Bruma. According to Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale, the operation involved a multidisciplinary team comprising the Hawks, Interpol, international law enforcement agencies, SAPS Crime Intelligence, the Gauteng Provincial Tracking Team and other security structures.
The suspects are expected to face charges for contravening the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act 15 of 1998. They are expected to appear before the Kempton Park Magistrates' Court. The arrests come amid growing concerns about the recruitment of individuals in South Africa to participate in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. This follows several investigations into alleged recruitment networks operating in the country.
In November 2025, South Africa was confronted with allegations involving 17 of its citizens who were reportedly recruited to travel to Russia under the promise of lucrative employment opportunities and security training. The matter implicated former uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party Member of Parliament Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla after a criminal complaint was lodged by her half-sister, Nkosazana Bonganini Zuma-Mncube.
Zuma-Mncube alleged that Zuma-Sambudla, alongside Siphokazi Xuma and an individual identified as Blessing Khoza, had misled the men into travelling to Russia under the impression that they would receive military training and then be employed as bodyguards for senior MK Party leaders. However, the men reportedly found themselves deployed to the frontline in Ukraine, fighting alongside Russian forces.
Seventeen men were reportedly trapped in the Donbas region, with some sending distress calls to their families and the South African government. Zuma-Sambudla disputed the allegations, saying she had also been misled about the nature of the recruitment arrangement. She maintained that she had been deceived by Khoza into believing the programme was legitimate.
The allegations prompted an investigation by the Hawks into possible human trafficking, fraud and the illegal recruitment of South African citizens into foreign military activities. In February 2026, the South African government announced arrangements with Russia to facilitate the return of the 17 men. The repatriation process was subsequently carried out, although investigations into the circumstances surrounding their recruitment remained ongoing.
The latest arrests raise renewed questions about the use of South Africa as a departure point for individuals allegedly being recruited into foreign military structures. It remains unclear whether the nine suspects were recruited by the same networks investigated in the earlier cases, which country they intended to travel to or whether their arrests are connected to any of the previous investigations.
Key points
- The suspects are expected to face charges for contravening the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act 15 of 1998.
- The arrests come amid growing concerns about the recruitment of individuals in South Africa to participate in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
- The Hawks have not publicly established a connection between the latest arrests and the cases involving the alleged recruitment of South African men.
