By Mark Ogagan
The Johannesburg High Court has sentenced seven Chinese nationals to 20 years in prison after they were found guilty on charges related to kidnapping and forced labour.
Kevin Tsao, Chen Hui, Qin Li, Jiaqing Zhou, Ma Biao, Dai Junying, and Zhang Zhilian were convicted in March on 158 charges of kidnapping and forced labour involving 91 Malawian nationals.
The case followed a 2019 Hawks raid on a Village Deep factory, Beautiful City Pty Ltd, where undocumented Malawians, including minors, were found working in appalling conditions, without proper pay or leave.
The daughter of one of the accused, who goes by the name Nancy Xiao, claims the accused weren’t aware of the gravity of the crime and had challenges understanding English.
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