Seven Chinese nationals have been handed 20-year prison terms each for smuggling Malawians to South Africa and subjecting them to forced labor.
The four men and three women were found guilty of human trafficking and kidnapping earlier this year by a South African court.
The group was arrested in 2019 when local authorities raided a factory in Johannesburg and found 91 Malawian nationals, 37 of them children, working in appalling conditions.
The factory, named Beautiful City, made inner cottons for blankets using recycled material, with employees working 11-hour shifts, seven days a week, without proper training or safety equipment.
They were paid far below South Africa’s minimum wage of $1.64 per hour and had their pay docked if they wanted time off.
One man testified that workers were not allowed to leave the heavily guarded factory premises, even to buy food, which he described as dirty and unsuitable for human beings.
The South African prosecuting authority welcomed the sentence, saying it would help bolster the country’s fight against human trafficking.
Human trafficking is a major concern in South Africa, with the country regarded as a source, transit, and destination for victims.
The department of labor also welcomed the sentence, urging greater collaboration between government departments to root out these issues.
