News24 reports that a witness who testified against seven Chinese nationals accused of human trafficking and violating labour laws was accused by the defence on Thursday of being told what to say in court.

"You people were told by the police or someone else to say the same thing [and] to remember certain points. Your stories [are] exactly the same," the lawyer for the accused told state witness Alfred Magwaya during cross-examination. During proceedings on Thursday, Magwaya told the Gauteng South High Court that he arrived in SA in July 2019 from Malawi and worked at the accused's factory in Johannesburg as a material cutter. He said that he worked at the factory from 07:00 until 18:00 for R65 a day. He also claimed that while working at the factory, he injured himself with a machine used to "cut cloth". Magwaya said he was not trained on how to use the machine and was also not given protective equipment. He was taken to a hospital, but said that one of the accused thought his injuries were a "joke" when he returned to work. Magwaya alleged he was not compensated by the company for his injuries and spent several days without working or getting paid. The accused, who have pleaded not guilty, face 160 charges, including human trafficking, kidnapping and violation of labour laws. They were arrested in 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. Ninety-one Malawian nationals, including children, were allegedly found in the factory. The matter will be back in court on Friday.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jeanette Chabalala at News24

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