Nationals Sentenced to 20 Years for Human Trafficking
A South African court has sentenced seven Chinese nationals to 20 years in prison each for trafficking Malawian nationals and subjecting them to forced labour.
The group—four men and three women—was convicted earlier this year on charges of human trafficking and kidnapping. Their sentencing comes nearly six years after their arrest during a 2019 raid on a Johannesburg factory, where authorities discovered 91 Malawians, including 37 children, working under abusive conditions.
The convicted individuals—Kevin Tsao, Chen Hui, Qin Li, Jiaqing Zhou, Ma Biao, Dai Junying, and Zhang Zhilian—were found guilty on 158 out of 160 charges. These included facilitating illegal immigration and violating South Africa’s labour laws by failing to register operations, keep financial records, or provide safe working conditions.
Authorities said the victims were smuggled into the country in shipping containers. Once inside the factory, they were forced to work 11-hour shifts, seven days a week, without training or protective equipment. Workers earned far below South Africa’s minimum wage of $1.64 (£1.22) per hour and were penalised with pay cuts if they requested time off.
Testimonies revealed that employees were not allowed to leave the heavily guarded premises, even to buy food, which was often described as unhygienic and unfit for consumption.
The factory, named Beautiful City, produced inner cottons for blankets using recycled materials. Tsao served as manager while the others acted as supervisors.
South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority welcomed the ruling, calling it a step forward in combating human trafficking. “This scourge thrives because South Africa is seen as a source, transit, and destination country, partly due to porous borders,” spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said.
The Department of Labour, which participated in the 2019 raid, also praised the verdict, urging stronger interdepartmental collaboration to eradicate exploitative practises.
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