The trial is expected to be transmitted in the case of trafficking in people against 7 Chinese nationals

Johannesburg – The trial in the case of trafficking in persons against seven Chinese nationals will be transmitted on Tuesday in the Superior Court of Johannesburg.

They were arrested in November 2019 after a multidisciplinary investigation that discovered a traffic ring.

The operation led to the rescue of Malawi nationals, including 37 children, from a factory in the Johannesburg CBD.

The authorities claim that the defendant kidnapped and trafficked undocumented people to South Africa, submitting them to forced labor in deplorable conditions.

The factory, operated by Beautiful City Pty Ltd, produced cotton fiber sheets and kept the workers confined within the closed facilities.

The defendants face 160 positions, including human trafficking, the kidnapping, the contravention of the immigration law, the slavery of the debt and the violations of labor laws.

His initial bail requests were denied in 2020 due to concerns about possible flight risks.

However, five of the defendants were then given the bond after presenting new evidence, while two remain in custody for trying to flee the country.