Wisdom Mkhwananzi, an Mthwakazi Republic Party activist who, in 2018, accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa of responsibility for his parents\u2019 deaths during Gukurahundi, has reportedly been killed in Russia after being recruited to fight in the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Mkhwananzi, known in MRP circles as \u201cNkunzi\u201d, is believed to have died on or around 11 December 2025 alongside other foreign recruits, shortly after completing military training and being deployed to the front.<\/p>\n
His death was confirmed to MRP leadership by family sources. The identities of those who first passed on the information have been withheld due to the sensitivity surrounding foreign fighters in Russia.<\/p>\n
Speaking to CITE, MRP leader Mqondisi Moyo said he learned of Mkhwananzi\u2019s death on Tuesday after piecing together accounts from relatives, survivors and earlier conversations with the activist before he went silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can safely say that although people have been talking about it on social media, I have spoken to his brother and his aunt in the United Kingdom and from the information I have, it is almost confirmed that Mkhwananzi and some of his colleagues were killed on 11 December last year,\u201d Moyo said.<\/p>\n
Moyo said Mkhwananzi travelled to Russia between late October and November 2025, but did not tell him directly about his plans.<\/p>\n
Mkhwananzi first came to national attention on 26 October 2018, when he appeared before the Motlanthe Commission of Inquiry into the 1 August 2018 post-election violence in Bulawayo.<\/p>\n
During the public hearings, he pointed at a portrait of Mnangagwa and accused him of making him an orphan during the Gukurahundi genocide.<\/p>\n
He was arrested shortly afterwards and charged with undermining the authority of, or insulting, the President under section 33(1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.<\/p>\n
Police also accused him of giving false testimony under oath after he identified himself to the commission as Siphamandla Mafu \u2014 a name they said did not appear on his national identity card.<\/p>\n
He was granted US$200 bail on 29 October 2018.<\/p>\n
MRP secretary-general Velile Dube described Mkhwananzi as a loyal and disciplined cadre who had dedicated his life to seeking justice for Gukurahundi victims and advancing the party\u2019s self-determination agenda.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe challenged the government\u2019s efforts through hearings held in Bulawayo and was arrested for seeking justice. He later left Zimbabwe in frustration and lived in South Africa for a considerable period before travelling to Russia at the end of 2025 to join the Russian Army,\u201d said Dube.<\/p>\n
Mkhwananzi is the latest Zimbabwean believed to have been recruited for Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine amid warnings that vulnerable young men are being promised good pay and jobs, then sent to combat zones with little preparation.<\/p>\n
Related:<\/b><\/p>\n
MRP Demands Justice For Gukurahundi Rape Victims<\/p>\n
Four Appear In Court For Sending Zimbabweans To Fight For Russia In Ukraine<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Wisdom Mkhwananzi, an Mthwakazi Republic Party activist who, in 2018, accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa of responsibility for his parents\u2019 deaths during Gukurahundi, has reportedly been killed in Russia after being recruited to fight in the war in Ukraine. Mkhwananzi, known in MRP circles as \u201cNkunzi\u201d, is believed to have died on or around 11 December […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":117085,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy"],"yoast_head":"\n