A South African court has handed down 20 year prison sentences to seven Chinese nationals found guilty of human trafficking, kidnapping, and other related crimes after investigators uncovered a secret sweatshop in Johannesburg that exploited Malawian migrants, including children.
The convicted group, four men and three women, namely: Kevin Tsao, Chen Hui, Qin Li, Jiaqing Zhou, Ma Biao, Dai Junying, and Zhang Zhilian, were earlier this year found guilty on 158 out of 160 charges. Their arrest followed a 2019 police raid on a factory called Beautiful City, where officials discovered 91 Malawians, among them 37 children, forced to work in degrading conditions.
Prosecutors revealed that the victims were smuggled into South Africa inside shipping containers and confined within the heavily guarded premises. They were made to endure 11 hour shifts every day of the week, without proper training or protective gear, while being paid far below the legal minimum wage. Workers also had wages deducted if they took time off.
According to South African labour laws, a normal workday cannot exceed nine hours, and employees are entitled to at least 36 consecutive hours of rest weekly, including Sundays, unless special arrangements are made.
