- Upcoming Sentencing in Human Trafficking Case: The Gauteng South Division of the High Court will deliver sentencing on 10 September 2025 for seven Chinese nationals convicted of human trafficking, child labour, and labour law violations.
- Convictions and Charges Details: The accused were found guilty on 158 counts, including human trafficking, aiding illegal immigrants, and forced labour, highlighting the severity of their violations.
- Circumstances of Arrest and Employment Violations: The group was arrested in November 2019 at Beautiful City Pty Ltd in Johannesburg, where undocumented Malawian and Zimbabwean nationals were exploited under poor working conditions.
The Gauteng South Division of the High Court will on 10 September 2025 deliver sentencing in the trial of seven Chinese nationals found guilty of human trafficking, child labour and labour law violations.
The group: Kevin Tsao Shu-Uei, Chen Hui, Qin Li, Jiaqing Zhou, Ma Biao, Dai Junying and Zhang Zhilian were convicted on 158 out of 160 counts, including human trafficking, aiding illegal immigrants, forced labour and failure to comply with South Africa’s Unemployment Insurance Fund, Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act, national minimum wage and occupational safety laws.
They were arrested in November 2019 at Beautiful City Pty Ltd in Village Deep, Johannesburg, after a joint operation by the Department of Employment and Labour, SAPS, Hawks, and Home Affairs. The company had employed undocumented Malawian and Zimbabwean nationals under exploitative conditions.
Prosecutor Advocate Valencia Dube argued that prison sentences would serve deterrence, retribution and reformation, stressing that the accused showed no remorse and had failed to pay more than R600 000 in statutory debt. She urged the Court to ban Beautiful City Ltd from operating in South Africa.
Defence counsel Zweli Zakhe pleaded for leniency, saying the accused were first-time offenders and claimed a “Mr Chang” in China was the true owner.
Employment and Labour Deputy Minister Jomo Sibiya described the case as groundbreaking, saying it sends a clear warning to employers who break the law. Six accused remain in custody, while one was released on medical grounds pending sentencing.
