Nine Zimbabweans caught allegedly trying to leave South Africa to fight in Ukraine

Nine Zimbabweans have been arrested in South Africa after they were caught allegedly trying to leave the country to fight in the war between Russia and the Ukraine, police say.

The group, aged between 20 and 26, were arrested in and around Johannesburg by a multidisciplinary team on Sunday evening.

They were caught as they were "preparing to board flights out of the country", authorities added, but their final destination is unclear.

They have been charged with contravening South Africa's Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act, which outlaws mercenary activity without government permission.

Police said five people were arrested at South Africa's biggest airport, OR Tambo, and another four at a hotel in Bruma, east of Johannesburg by a multidisciplinary team that involved Interpol.