Drama in court as daughter of convicted Chinese trafficker claims 'real' kingpin still free in Joburg

Chaos erupted at the Johannesburg High Court after seven Chinese nationals were sentenced to 20 years in prison each, when a woman believed to be the daughter of one of the accused confronted reporters, alleging that the convicts were being framed.

The woman, reportedly named Nancy Xiao, shouted inside the courtroom, alleging that a powerful kingpin is the real mastermind behind a kidnapping syndicate that smuggles illegal foreign nationals into South Africa.

All of this occurred inside the courtroom on Wednesday morning.

“They are all lying,” she said, shouting, referring to the authorities and the charges laid against the group.

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Police attempted to block Xiao from speaking to the media.

However, she continued to speak, insisting that the real traffickers are still at large and that her family has been used as scapegoats.

Asked by reporters what authorities were lying about, Xiao claimed the true owner of the illegal factory involved in the case is still operating freely in the country.

“The owner is right here in this country… They are all employees. He is still running a business here. The boss is right here in this country,” she said.

When pressed about whether she had reported this alleged owner to police, Xiao doubled down, alleging the man is well-connected and dangerous.

“I tell you, that big boss - he has a gun-related background… He is known to the Chinese community in this country,” she said, adding that he lives in Johannesburg.

“Bruma!” she shouted, referring to a suburb east of Johannesburg. 

Xiao then pulled out her phone to show reporters a picture of the alleged business owner. However the image was not clear.

“He’s the big boss here… he runs a big business here,” she said.

She showed the reporters what appeared to be a storefront named “China Shield,” which she claimed the alleged man owns.

“They (referring to the convicted group) are afraid to report him because they’re going to be killed by this boss,” she said. “So they keep silent all this time.”

The chaos followed the sentencing of seven Chinese nationals, four men and three women, who were found guilty of human trafficking, child labor, and multiple violations of South Africa’s labor laws.

The convicted are Kevin Tsao Shu-Uei, Chen Hui, Qin Li, Jiaqing Zhou, Ma Biao, Dai Junying, and Zhang Zhilian. They were convicted on February 25, 2025, on 160 counts, including operating an unregistered business, failing to keep financial records, and maintaining unsafe working conditions.

The group was arrested in November 2019 during a joint raid conducted by the South African Police Service, the Hawks, the Department of Employment and Labour, and Home Affairs, following a tip-off about human trafficking and forced labor.

Authorities uncovered an unregistered garment manufacturing operation, Beautiful City (Pty) Ltd, in Village Deep, Johannesburg. 

Inside, more than 100 undocumented immigrants, including 37 children, were found locked in the building.

During the trial it was revealed that 91 of the individuals were Malawian nationals, many of whom had been smuggled into South Africa in shipping containers.

simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za

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