Seven Chinese nationals have been handed lengthy prison sentence for running a human trafficking and child labour operation.
The Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg delivered judgment against Kevin Tsao Shu-Uei, Chen Hui, Qin Li, Jiaqing Zhou, Ma Biao, Dai Junying, and Zhang Zhilian.
This followed their conviction on 160 charges – including human trafficking, kidnapping, contraventions of immigration laws, and the exploitation of workers – in February.
The sentencing proceedings itself faced delays, having been postponed twice in March and again in April.
The case dates back to November 2019, when the police and labour officials raided a factory called Beautiful City in Village Deep, Johannesburg.
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Inside, 91 Malawian nationals were discovered working under exploitative conditions at the illegal enterprise, which produced cotton fibre sheets. Among them were 37 children.
Six of the accused remained behind bars during the long-running trial, while Junying was released due to medical reasons.
At one stage, he attended proceedings in a wheelchair.
On Wednesday, Judge David Mhango proceeded with sentencing, handing down prison terms to all seven.
All accused were sentenced to 20 years imprisonment each and the company they operated ordered to pay a fine of R300 000.
Conviction
The court had established that Malawian workers at the factory suffered injuries while on duty. It also found that the workers were in South Africa illegally.
They were forced to work every day of the week, from Monday to Sunday, and were paid less than the national minimum wage.
As a result, the Chinese nationals were convicted on several offences including not registering with the Compensation Fund, and failing to declare their operations.
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The accused did not keep proper earning records, nor did they submit returns or pay assessments.
They also failed to maintain a safe workplace or report incidents.
The Chinese citizens were found to have neglected to register with the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) commissioner or report changes regarding unemployment insurance.
In addition, they were found guilty of human trafficking, aiding and facilitating trafficking, keeping victims in bondage, and profiting from their exploitation.
They were also convicted of assisting undocumented migrants to remain in South Africa.
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