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Seven Chinese nationals have each been sentenced to 20 years in prison in South Africa for trafficking Malawians into forced labour.
The four men and three women were convicted earlier this year on charges of human trafficking and kidnapping, nearly six years after a police raid uncovered 91 Malawian nationals — including 37 children — trapped in brutal working conditions at a Johannesburg factory.
Authorities said the victims had been smuggled into the country in shipping containers and forced to work 11-hour shifts, seven days a week, without training, safety equipment, or freedom of movement. Workers were paid far below the legal minimum wage and denied basic rights, including weekly rest periods. Some testified they were unable to leave the guarded premises, even to buy food.
The factory, named Beautiful City, produced cotton padding for blankets from recycled materials. Manager Kevin Tsao and six supervisors — Chen Hui, Qin Li, Jiaqing Zhou, Ma Biao, Dai Junying, and Zhang Zhilian — were found guilty on 158 out of 160 charges, including labour law violations and assisting illegal immigration.
South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority welcomed the ruling, calling it a significant step in combating human trafficking, which officials describe as a “scourge” in the country due to porous borders and high demand for cheap labour.
The Department of Labour, which took part in the 2019 raid, also praised the sentencing and urged stronger inter-agency cooperation to dismantle trafficking networks.
