Seven Chinese nationals jailed for 20 years for child labour, human trafficking case

EMPLOYMENT and Labour Deputy Minister Jomo Sibiya has welcomed the finalisation of a human trafficking and child labour case in which seven Chinese nationals have been sentenced to at least 20 years each in prison.

- SIPHESIHLE BUTHELEZI AND SIMON MAJADIBODU

The ruling was handed down by the Gauteng South Division of the High Court in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

In a statement, the Employment and Labour department outlined the sentencing proceedings, saying Judge D Mhango had described the offences as grave violations of human rights and South Africa's laws.

The convicted group, Kevin Tsao Shu-Uei, Chen Hui, Qin Li, Jiaqing Zhou, Ma Biao, Dai Junying, and Zhang Zhilian, were in February this year found guilty on 158 of 160 counts, including human trafficking, aiding and facilitating human trafficking, bondage, benefiting from trafficking, and employing illegal immigrants.

The court also detailed the abuse suffered by victims, many of them foreign nationals.

The judge said they were “lured into the country, kept in bondage and forced into buying from an in-house tuckshop at exorbitant prices, subjected to long working hours, and had no right to sick leave”

The judge also highlighted cases where victims were injured while operating machinery, including losing their eyesight and limbs. He added that the factory also employed minors.