Two accused of immigration legislation plead guilty

"The 73 victims who originated from Swaziland, Lesotho and South Africa were all placed into houses of safety, before being sent back to their countries of origin, with the help of their respective governments."

March 8, 2018

Zianne Leibrandt 1 minute read

The 73 victims who originated from Swaziland, Lesotho and South Africa were all placed into houses of safety, before being sent back to their countries of origin, with the help of their respective governments

Two factory owners have been sentenced and deported back to China, after they plead guilty to immigration legislation in the Newcastle Magistrate’s Court recently.

According to Newcastle SAPS Corporate Communications and Liaison Department, the Newcastle Hawks raided a factory in Riverside Industrial in February 2017, and found 73 illegal immigrants working on the premises.

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At the time, it was speculated that the workers were victims of human trafficking, and five suspects (four Chinese citizens and one Swaziland citizen)were arrested and charged accordingly.

“The 73 victims who originated from Swaziland, Lesotho and South Africa were all placed into houses of safety, before being sent back to their countries of origin, with the help of their respective governments.”

It was also said the female suspect, who is of Swaziland origin, was arrested as she was allegedly the person who had recruited the illegal immigrants at the behest of the factory owners.

Two of the Chinese suspects alleged that they had only arrived in South Africa a week prior to the raid, but pleaded guilty to charges of immigration legislation.

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They suspects were sentenced as follows:

– Each suspect was ordered to pay a R2 500 fine, or serve a 30 day prison sentence suspended for 12 months. The terms of their punishment were also that they leave the Republic of South Africa before March 1, 2018.

– Each of the accused was also declared as ‘undesirable persons’ and were V-listed, thus preventing them from entering into the Republic of South Africa again.

Both suspects were handed over to immigration officials, and were deported back to China on February 28, 2018.

The court cases against the remaining three suspects are currently pending, and awaiting further investigations.