‘Slave’ camp exposed

FACTORY: CHINESE MAN LOCKED IMMIGRANTS IN, FORCING THEM TO WORK

Owner of Joburg company Beautiful City arrested for legal violations.

The Hawks and the SA Police Service (Saps) have exposed a Chinese operated factory being used to traffic illegal immigrants. In a joint operation, the Saps, the department of labour’s Inspection and enforcement services (IES) and the Hawks, acting on a tip-off about human trafficking, pounced on the premises.

On Thursday, the IES said the immigrants were being subjected to forced labour at the premises of a company called Beautiful City, located at Village Deep in Johannesburg.

IES inspectors found minors put to work and the employer, who is of Chinese origin, was found to have violated labour and immigration laws, bylaws, health regulations and child labour laws.

Beautiful City had 150 employees, of which 149 were illegal or undocumented foreigners. The company manufactures the inner cotton lining of blankets. Its operations are executed behind closed “high steel gates”, the department said.

The tip-off came from an undisclosed source in August, which alleged that the employers were trafficking Malawian citizens. The source also alleged that migrant workers were permanently locked in a factory and were not allowed access to the outside world.

“When [the migrants] want to buy something, they are expected to write it on a piece of paper for their bosses to get it for them,” said the statement.

Seventy-eight employees were found on-site working in substandard conditions for a wage of R6.50 per hour, seven days a week. No formal contracts were drawn up and unlawful reductions and unpaid overtime had also occurred. If employees requested leave, the employer allegedly told them to go and not return.

In addition to deplorable working conditions, the living conditions on the premises were also “uninhabitable”.

The IES was told that a Malawian worker’s hand had been severed while he was operating a machine. The employer took the worker to a Chinese doctor on the premises, refusing the worker to get additional professional medical help.

The employer was arrested by the Hawks during the raid and all employees were taken to a place of safety while investigations continue.

Beautiful City was also issued with a notice for failing to pay workers the prescribed national minimum wage.

“The underpayments for the 78 employees found on the premises was estimated to be R6.3 million and the employer has to pay the employees within 14 days on receipt of notice.

“The business was also issued with a prohibition notice by department inspectors, which means that no persons would be allowed to gain entry into the business,” the IES added.

Gauteng department of labour chief inspector advocate Michael Msiza said inspectors conducting the blitz operation expressed “shock and disgust” at what they described as “the [grimmest] site” they had ever come across.

Msiza also condemned the employer’s actions, warning the department would not tolerate “modern-day slavery” under its watch.

“Such barbaric acts have no place in our democratic state that upholds and promotes freedom, equality and human dignity.

“There is no human dignity in locking in employees and violating their rights, including the right to earn a minimum wage and to be covered regarding social security,” he said.

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Such barbaric acts have no place in a democracy