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- Seven Chinese nationals are currently on trial in the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg.
- The seven face charges of human trafficking, kidnapping and violation of labour laws.
- They have all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
A State witness has told the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg of the "painful" and "difficult" working conditions, he and his colleagues allegedly experienced at a Johannesburg factory owned by seven Chinese nationals accused of human trafficking.
Matola Ndika was testifying in the trial against Kevin Tsao, Dai Junying, Chen Hui, Qin Li, Jiaqing Zhou, Ma Biao and Zhang Zhilian, which is currently underway.
The accused face 160 charges, including human trafficking, kidnapping and the violation of labour laws.
They pleaded not guilty to all charges on 26 April, News24 previously reported.
On Wednesday, Ndika told the court that at some point, he was assaulted and called a "mother f-----" by some of the accused - something which he said "was painful" to experience.
He also claimed that one of the accused attacked him with his bare hands and had also witnessed one of his colleagues being beaten with a broom.
"Life was so difficult," he told the court on Wednesday. Ndika also told the court that he arrived in South Africa from Malawi when he was 14-years-old, trying to run away from poverty.
No passport
He said he came to South Africa on a taxi, with no passport.
When he arrived, he was hired by one of the seven accused in Benoni and was paid R85 a day.
He said he worked from 19:00 until 07:00.
Ndika told the court that he was later transported in a container at the back of the truck to the accused's enterprise, called Beautiful City Pty Ltd in Village Deep, Johannesburg.
READ | Chinese human trafficking accused owe us millions - labour department
He told the court that the factory paid him R65 a day - an amount which he said he could not negotiate.
He also said:
Toilet trips
He also said the only time they were allowed to use the toilets was during lunchtime, and if they used them before the lunch hour, they risked losing R20 from their salary.
"The treatment at work was too painful," he said.
READ | Court hears how employees' 'basic human rights' were allegedly violated at Joburg factory
The accused were arrested on 12 November 2019 following an operation by the Department of Employment and Labour's inspection and enforcement services branch in Gauteng, the police, the Department of Home Affairs and the Hawks, News24 previously reported.
The accused were allegedly trafficking undocumented immigrants into South Africa and subjected them to forced labour from April 2017 until 2019. Ninety-one Malawian nationals, including children, were allegedly found in the factory.
The trial continues on Thursday.
