CHINESE NATIONALS RECEIVE 52 YEARS IMPRISONMENTS FOR TRAFFICKING MALAWIAN NATIONALS
JOINT MEDIA STATEMENT BETWEEN THE NPA AND THE DPCI
10 SEPTEMBER 2025
CHINESE NATIONALS RECEIVE 52 YEARS IMPRISONMENTS FOR TRAFFICKING MALAWIAN NATIONALS
Johannesburg, Gauteng Division- The High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Division in Johannesburg, has imposed lengthy prison sentences on seven Chinese nationals for breaking South African labour laws and trafficking 98 Malawians, among them three minors, for labour exploitation in Ekurhuleni. The accused, including Kevin Tsao, Shu-Uei, Chen Hui, Qin Li, Jiaqing Zhou, Ma Biao, Dai Junying and Zhang Zhilian, along with their company Beautiful City, were found guilty on 25 February 2025.
They each received 20 years' sentence for human trafficking, 10 years for kidnapping and an additional 22 years for various other offences of Contravention of Labour Laws. The accused was also handed an extra three-year sentence for facilitating the finances of the factory. The court deviated from the prescribed minimum sentence, citing that the accused were not the owners of the business, further ruling that the sentences for the additional charges will run concurrently with the 20-year human trafficking sentence, resulting in an effective prison term of 20 years for each of the accused. Furthermore, the judge ordered the company, Beautiful City, to pay a fine of R300 000.
They were arrested following a tip-off to the South African Police Service about a business premise harbouring an illegal immigrant. The information was operationalised by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), joined by the Department of Labour’s Inspectors. This operation prompted investigations by Warrant Officer Lulama Kona of the DPCI’s Serious Organised Crime Investigation, which revealed that on 12 November 2019, law enforcement authorities descended on a factory called Beautiful City in Ekurhuleni. They found more than a hundred employees enslaved. Further investigations by Warrant Officer Kona revealed that they were not paid the minimum prescribed wage and were kept under appalling conditions. Evidence revealed that these employees were smuggled into South Africa without any legal documentation in trucks. Once here, they were then placed at various factories in Croesus, Boksburg and Benoni before they were moved to Beautiful City.
In her arguments for a stringent sentence, Senior State Advocate Valencia Dube pleaded with the court to take into consideration that human trafficking has become a scourge in our country and that such offences not only have economic impacts but also affect the country’s greylisting. She added that such crimes exacerbate unemployment in our country, as the accused opted to hire Malawians at lower rates.
In delivering the sentence, the court highlighted the prevalence of human trafficking in the country and considered the victims’ inhumane conditions, including severe injuries suffered by them due to a lack of protective clothing. The court accepted the State’s view of trafficking as an ongoing criminal process, reflecting public frustration with foreign nationals involved in such crimes.
The NPA and DPCI welcome the sentence as the accused blatantly disregarded the rule of law. They came to South Africa to commit crimes by exploiting vulnerable people who were sold false promises of employment. Human trafficking remains a scourge, and as law enforcement, we are committed to dismantling and eradicating this criminal network.
Issued by:
Phindi Mjonondwane
NPA Regional Spokesperson
Gauteng Division, Johannesburg
0834024787/0112204245
And
Colonel Katlego Mogale
Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation
082 455 5782