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The seven face charges of human trafficking, kidnapping and violation of labour laws.
They all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg heard allegations of how seven Chinese nationals, accused of human trafficking, treated employees at their Johannesburg factory.
The trial against Kevin Tsao, Dai Junying, Chen Hui, Qin Li, Jiaqing Zhou, Ma Biao and Zhang Zhilian is currently underway. Aufi told the court that, initially, the Chinese refused to open the gates until the police climbed over to free them, and how the accused tried to bribe the police with food, the department said.
Worker tells court how Chinese nationals, accused of human trafficking, abused staff
By IOL Reporter
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A witness in the trial of seven Chinese nationals facing human trafficking and child labour charges has detailed a web of abuse he and fellow nationals were subjected to including being subjected to long working hours, debt bondage, hazardous working conditions, insults, assaults and violation of basic human rights.
Fraser Aufi, a Malawian national, testified in the Johannesburg High Court today. He also told the court that his dream of becoming an entrepreneur was shattered the day he set his foot at Beautiful City Pty Ltd, the company that employed them.
Human traffickers now facing 160 criminal charges
The seven Chinese nationals allegedly trafficked 91 workers, including children, into SA in containers and forced them to work for R65 a day.
A witness in the trial of seven Chinese nationals who are facing human trafficking and child labour charges has testified that workers at a factory allegedly transported to SA in containers, were paid a salary of R65 a day and expected to work seven days a week.
The wintess, Maxwell Kamanga told the Johannesburg High Court that workers who exercised the “option” of not working on weekends faced a penalty of having R40 deducted from their salaries on a Monday and Tuesday of the new week.
Bernadette Wicks According to the indictment, the Chinese nationals had a total of 91 undocumented Malawian foreign nationals – among them children – working in the factory in Johannesburg. Picture: iStock In 2018, Maxwell Kamanga left his home town of Dedza, in rural Malawi, and boarded a bus bound for Johannesburg. For the ambitious 24 year old, the lure of a better life was too enticing to resist. But his dreams soon turned to dread when he was recruited into what is now believed to have been an illegal sweatshop and became a pawn in an alleged human trafficking ring. This was Kamanga’s evidence on the stand of the High Court in Johannesburg this week when the trial of the seven Chinese nationals accused of running the operation got underway. ALSO.
Seven Chinese nationals, who were arrested for human trafficking, have pleaded not guilty.
The accused appeared in the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg.
They face 160 charges, including human trafficking, kidnapping and the violation of labour laws.
Seven Chinese nationals, who were arrested for human trafficking, have pleaded not guilty.
Kevin Tsao, Dai Junying, Chen Hui, Qin Li, Jiaqing Zhou, Ma Biao and Zhang Zhilian appeared in the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg on Monday for their trial.
They face 160 charges, including counts of human trafficking, kidnapping and the violation of labour laws.
They were arrested on 12 November 2019, following an operation between the Department of Employment and Labour s inspection and enforcement services branch in Gauteng, the police, the Department of Home Affairs and the Hawks, News24 previously reported.