Employment and Labour on postponement of sentencing of Chinese nationals found guilty of human trafficking and child labour

The sentencing proceedings in the trial of seven Chinese nationals found guilty of human trafficking and child labour at the Gauteng South Division Court in Johannesburg were today postponed to late next month (April).

The defence represented by Counsel J. Kruger applied for the postponement of the sentencing proceedings and this request was granted. Kruger said in Court today that the defence was still seized with studying the judgment that found the accused guilty. He also told the Court that the defence was yet to obtain medical evidence of accused number six, who he disclosed that she has been “hit by a stroke”.  

The seven Chinese nationals were on 25 February 2025 found guilty on 160 Counts. The criminals are: Kevin Tsao Shu-Uei, Chen Hui, Qin Li, Jiaqing Zhou, Ma Biao, Dai Junying, and Zhang Zhilian. The accused are facing schedule six offences.  

The Chinese were found guilty of not registering with the Compensation Fund and declaring their operations; failure to keep records of their earnings; failure to submit their return on earnings; failure to pay and declare assessments; failure to maintain a safe workplace; failure to report incidents; failure to register and declare with Unemployment Insurance Fund Commissioner; failure to inform the Commissioner on Unemployment Insurance changes; guilty of human trafficking; aiding/facilitating human trafficking; bondage; benefiting from victims of human trafficking; assisting illegals to remain in South Africa.

The seven criminals were arrested on 12 November 2019 in a joint operation carried out at their premises -  Beautiful City Pty Ltd based at Village Deep in Johannesburg. The joint inspection blitz was carried out by the Department of Employment and Labour’s Inspection and Enforcement Services (IES) branch together with the South African Police Service (SAPS)/ Hawks Unit and the Department of Home Affairs, this following a tip-off.

The joint operation uncovered illegal immigrants some of whom were minors working under horror conditions and kept in the locked premises of Beautiful City. The factory produced cotton fibre sheets.

The six accused were remanded in custody, except accused number six (Dai Junying) who is out on medical grounds. The accused came to the Court being pushed in a wheelchair. The sentencing proceedings are now set for 29-30 April 2025.  

For more information, contact: 
Teboho Thejane 
Departmental Spokesperson 
Cell: 082 697 0694
E-mail: Teboho.Thejane@labour.gov.za

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