Nine Zimbabweans charged over mercenary activities in South Africa
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on SABC News
Five Zimbabweans will appear on Tuesday before the Kempton Park court over alleged mercenary activities, after their arrest at OR Tambo airport. Four others, arrested at a hotel in Bruma, will be tried in Johannesburg, according to South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority.
Nine Zimbabwean nationals are being prosecuted in South Africa for mercenary activities, according to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). Five of them, arrested on Sunday at OR Tambo International Airport, are due to appear on Tuesday before the Kempton Park Magistrates’ Court.
Four others, detained at a hotel in Bruma, will appear on Thursday before the Johannesburg court. According to the NPA, the accused planned to use South Africa as a transit country to join the Russia-Ukraine war. They are charged with contravening the Foreign Military Assistance Act.
Their trials have been postponed to 10 and 12 November 2026 to allow them to secure legal representation. Gauteng NPA spokesperson Abram Magaboke said the authority remains determined to uphold the law and hold to account those who violate it.
