7 CHINESE NATIONALS JAILED 20 YEARS EACH FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING, FORCED LABOUR IN SOUTH AFRICA

A court in South Africa has jailed seven Chinese nationals for twenty years each for smuggling people from Malawi and subjecting them to forced labour in South Africa.

The group - Kevin Tsao, Chen Hui, Qin Li, Jiaqing Zhou, Ma Biao, Dai Junying, and Zhang Zhilian - were found guilty on 158 of the 160 counts for which they were charged.

The group of four men and three women were found guilty of human trafficking and kidnapping earlier this year, after they were arrested nearly six years ago during a raid at a factory in Johannesburg.

Nineteen-one Malawian nationals, including thirty-seven children, were rescued during the raid after they were found working in appalling conditions.

The factory raid came after authorities received a tip-off from a worker who had managed to escape.

It later emerged that employees were forced to work 11-hour shifts, seven days a week, without proper training or safety equipment.

They were also paid far below South Africa's minimum wage of $1.64 (£1.22) per hour and had their pay docked if they wanted time off.