Hawks arrest 10 foreigners allegedly heading to fight for Russia

Ten foreign nationals have been arrested in South Africa this week on suspicion of trying to travel abroad to take part in the war between Russia and Ukraine, according to The Citizen.

The latest arrest was made on 11 November. Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said the suspect, a 38-year-old foreign national, now faces charges linked to South Africa’s foreign military assistance law, Act 15 of 1998. She said he was also allegedly on his way to fight in the conflict.

Nine others arrested earlier in the week

The man’s arrest follows that of nine other foreign nationals, aged between 20 and 26. They were picked up at OR Tambo International Airport and at a hotel in Bruma. They are also accused of breaking the same law by allegedly trying to leave the country to join the war.

Mogale said the arrests came from a joint investigation involving several agencies. These included Interpol’s Pretoria bureau, the Hawks and their units in Germiston, police crime intelligence, the Gauteng Provincial Tracking Team, private security companies and law enforcement bodies from other countries. According to Mogale, the team acted on intelligence gathered during the investigation before moving in to make the arrest.

The suspects have been arrested and charged, but the allegations have not been tested in court.

Experts welcome arrests, call for prosecutions

Criminal law expert Cornelia van Graan welcomed the arrests. She said they must be followed by swift and accurate prosecutions if they are to keep working as a deterrent.

Witness Maluleka, head of the criminology and criminal justice department at the University of Limpopo, said the cases showed how well police can work when agencies share intelligence and combine their skills. He said the investigators deserved praise, and that the arrests sent a message to foreigners that South Africa is not a place where crime can be carried out freely.

He also said that if this level of work continues, ports of entry could become better at responding to criminal activity, and that this could help counter the growth of organised crime in communities.

What this means for South Africans

South African law restricts citizens and residents from offering military services to foreign conflicts without authorisation. The arrests show that the authorities are monitoring airports and other points of departure for people allegedly planning to do so. The next step is for the cases to go through the courts, where the suspects will have the chance to answer the charges.

This story is based on reporting by The Citizen.