Brussels 11.09.2025 Seven Chinese nationals involved in smuggling Malawians to South Africa and subjected them to forced labour have been sentenced for 20 years. Earlier this year the group was found guilty of human trafficking and kidnapping by a South African court. (Photo: illustration).

A South African court has sentenced seven Chinese nationals to 20 years in prison each for kidnapping and forced labourhttps://t.co/QB0qgkInoi pic.twitter.com/svbUInB9hI

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Their sentence comes nearly six years after they were arrested when local authorities inspected a factory in Johannesburg and found 91 Malawian nationals, 37 of them children, working in degrading conditions. Human trafficking is one of the major concerns in South Africa, with the country regarded as a “source, transit and destination”, according to the government.

Seven Chinese nationals have been jailed for 20 years each for human trafficking and kidnapping. They were arrested in Johannesburg when local authorities found Malawian nationals, 37 of them children, working in appalling conditions.https://t.co/hTKvFF3fcv pic.twitter.com/Ucjf4envyr

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In the course of the investigation it was established that employees were forced to work 11-hour shifts, seven days a week, without proper training or safety equipment.

They were also paid below South Africa’s minimum wage of $1.64 (£1.22) per hour and had their pay docked if they wanted time off. According to South Africa’s labour laws, employees cannot work more than nine hours a day and are generally entitled to a “weekly rest period of at least 36 consecutive hours” that includes Sunday, unless a different agreement is reached.
One man testified that workers were not allowed to leave the heavily guarded factory premises, even to get food, which he described as dirty and unsuitable for human beings.