Harare – The government has warned Zimbabweans against joining the Russia-Ukraine war, saying recruitment agencies allegedly facilitating their travel stand to profit from their deaths while withholding payments owed to them.

Information Ministry Permanent Secretary Nick Mangwana said individuals recruiting people to fight in foreign conflicts were exploiting them through promises of lucrative salaries, signing-on fees and other contractual benefits.

In a post on X, Mangwana warned that the agencies had little incentive to ensure recruits survived, arguing that their deaths could allow recruiters to retain money meant for the fighters.

“They want you dead, so they keep every penny,” Mangwana said.

He explained that recruitment agencies receive both the recruits’ salaries and their own fees, from which they are supposed to pay the individuals they enlist.

However, Mangwana alleged that even those who survive the conflict often struggle to recover their signing-on fees and other contractual payments.

He said recruits who join foreign military operations illegally may also find themselves without government assistance when disputes over unpaid benefits arise.

“You cannot even approach your government for support, because the government cannot help you recover the proceeds of an illegal enterprise,” he said.

Mangwana further warned that recruiters could benefit financially when fighters die on the battlefield, because their estates may be unable to pursue outstanding payments.

His warning comes amid growing concern over the recruitment of Zimbabweans and other African nationals to fight in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

South African authorities recently arrested nine Zimbabweans aged between 20 and 26 who were allegedly preparing to leave the country to join the war.

The group was arrested in Johannesburg, with five apprehended at OR Tambo International Airport and four others at a hotel in Bruma.

They were charged under South Africa’s Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act, although the authorities have not disclosed whether they intended to fight for Russia or Ukraine.

Zimbabwean authorities have previously reported that 15 nationals were killed after being recruited to fight for Russia, while more than 60 others remained trapped on the front line, according to figures announced in March.