Four men recently appeared before Harare magistrate Jesse Kufa at the Harare Magistrates' Court, facing charges under the Trafficking in Persons Act. Obert Hlavati (35), Tonderai Maphosa (39), Tanaka Malcon Gwarada (29), and Edson Nyamudeza (49) are accused of complicity in trafficking five Zimbabwean nationals to Russia, where the victims were reportedly coerced into military participation in the invasion of Ukraine.

According to State allegations, between February and March 2026, the four accused individuals collaborated with a Russian national identified only as Ivan, devising a scheme to traffic five Zimbabweans for forced labor exploitation in Russia. The victims were initially recruited under false pretenses, being promised lucrative salaries and favorable working conditions as firefighters.

The recruitment process involved Ivan using social media platforms such as Facebook, Telegram, and WhatsApp to find potential victims. He then referred them to Gwarada, a local InDrive taxi driver, to finalize their recruitment. Gwarada reportedly received payments totaling US$8,167 at various times via EcoCash and a bureau de change located at 5 Londonderry, Eastlea, Harare. He would then transport the recruits to various hotels, lodges, or safe houses in the Harare CBD while awaiting further processing.

The Court heard that Gwarada subsequently handed over the funds to Maphosa, who was responsible for managing the logistics, including food and accommodation for the victims. Maphosa, in turn, assigned Hlavati the task of accompanying the victims to passport offices and the Avenues Clinic to acquire necessary travel documents and medical reports. Once these preparations were complete, Gwarada transported the victims to Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport. There, he allegedly handed their air tickets to Nyamudeza, an airport official, who then facilitated their