South African Court Jails Chinese Nationals for Kidnapping and Child Trafficking

A Johannesburg high court has sentenced seven Chinese nationals to 20 years in prison each for trafficking and exploiting 91 undocumented Malawian migrants, including 37 children, at an illegal textile factory in Village Deep.

The convicted traffickers, Shu-Uei Tsao (42), Biao Ma (50), Hui Chen (50), Quin Li (56), Zhou Jiaquing (46), Junying Dai (58), and Zhilian Zhang (51), were arrested in November 2019, after police raided the Beautiful City factory, which was surrounded by high walls, razor wire and guarded by armed men. Inside, officers found Malawian workers living in inhumane conditions, confined to the premises and forced into grueling shifts.

Testimony revealed that between 2017 and 2019, the victims were recruited from Malawi with false promises of good wages, only to be subjected to 11-hour workdays, seven days a week, without rest periods, training, or protective gear. They were prohibited from leaving the compound, denied outside food, and punished for requesting time off. Several victims suffered injuries while operating unsafe machinery, while others described food provided as “dirty and unsuitable for humans.”

Prosecutors pushed for life sentences, arguing that workers had been trafficked under inhumane conditions, some transported in windowless trucks. The court instead delivered 20-year terms after convicting the group on nearly all counts of human trafficking, kidnapping, labour exploitation, and immigration violations.

South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority welcomed the ruling, calling it a “landmark judgment” that strengthens the country’s anti-trafficking fight. The Department of Labour, which took part in the 2019 raid, praised the verdict as a warning to factory owners who exploit migrants.

South Africa is regarded as a source, transit, and destination country for human trafficking. Its porous borders and high demand for cheap labour have made it a hotspot for exploitation of migrants from across southern Africa. According to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and UNODC, most SADC states now have anti-trafficking laws, but enforcement gaps remain.

The Malawian government has yet to issue an official statement, despite many of the victims being Malawian nationals. Officials in Lilongwe said they are monitoring the Johannesburg case closely, while civil society groups have called on both Malawi and SADC to strengthen cross-border protection systems.