Families across Zimbabwe are enduring heartbreak and uncertainty as they search for relatives who left the country for what they believed were job opportunities, only to later find themselves fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war. Authorities have warned that recruitment schemes are still active, and five suspected agents are currently facing human trafficking charges.
A Beitbridge mother, Rodwin Chitewere, learned of her son Tanaka Muzirikazi’s departure to Russia only after a relative spotted a change in his WhatsApp status. Muzirikazi, who would have turned 23 this month, left his village in eastern Zimbabwe with his cousin Dylan Goodho in April. Shortly afterward, Chitewere received a voice note from someone in Russia saying her son had been seriously wounded in a drone attack. A second message in July brought the news that he had died.
Chitewere has asked for her son’s remains to be brought home so she can give him a proper burial and find closure. Zimbabwe’s foreign ministry has forwarded the family’s repatriation request to the embassy in Russia.
Dylan Goodho’s family also believed he was leaving for work. His father, an artisanal miner, said the opportunity appeared genuine and he borrowed money to cover police clearance certificates, medical examinations, and other costs. Dylan only told his family after arriving in Russia that he had become a soldier. He later sent $1,500 home and mentioned a vehicle he was sending back, but the family has heard nothing from him since May.
His mother, Fadzai Chikove, has pleaded for him to come home, arguing that the war is not Zimbabwe’s fight.
In April, the government disclosed that 15 Zimbabweans had died on foreign battlefields, while more than 60 remained on the front lines as of March. The continued activity of recruiters has raised serious concerns.
The problem extends beyond Zimbabwe. In South Africa, at least two citizens have died fighting for Russia, and 15 returned home in February. A Ukrainian government website tracking Russian recruitment reported last month that 10 South Africans had died. One returnee said he had no military experience before entering the war and described the terror of bombs and drones. Another said he received only two sessions with a psychologist despite promises of trauma counseling.
In Botswana, the government warned in July about an alarming number of men being misled into the conflict. A mother there has not heard from her 20-year-old son since he left for Russia in July last year. She believes he and a friend were lured by Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former South African president Jacob Zuma, under the guise of attending a personal development course. Zuma-Sambudla resigned from parliament in December amid a police investigation into allegations she recruited men for the war.
A collective called All Eyes on Wagner published names of more than 1,400 Africans it says Moscow recruited between January 2023 and September 2025, with over 300 deaths. For families across southern Africa, the wait for answers continues.
