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Teaching in China: Mom turns to Dirco after daughter detained

───   09:30 Mon, 04 Mar 2019

Teaching in China: Mom turns to Dirco after daughter detained | News Article
Sasha Redman PHOTO: Facebook

Teaching in China has become a trend. Pupils from all walks of life migrate to the Asian country seeking better opportunities in the education sector.


However, for South Africans, this has become a risky business, as it has been discovered that some organisations take advantage of unsuspecting victims.

Take, for instance, the case of Sasha Redman, the daughter of Candice Erasmus, a mother from Cape Town.

Redman, as reported by EWN, went to China in September 2017 to teach English at the Upstreet International School.

One of the most important things that she needed to ensure was done before boarding the plane to the southern parts of China was to ensure that the school had successfully applied for the Z Visa.

This document, first and foremost, cannot be issued without there being a vacant job in the country.

Secondly, the job applicant and the prospective employer would have to go through the process of attaining the work permit and the Z Visa.

To apply for one, this is what is needed (information sourced from Pioneer & Beyond):

  • A valid passport ( valid for a minimum of 18 months from the date submitting your application and with a sufficient number of blank pages)
  • A passport photo
  • Completed visa application
  • Work permit (provided by the employer)
  • Employment contract or invitation letter from employer
  • Medical certificate

Redman was allegedly told by the school that her Z Visa would be completed and issued to her once she had arrived in China.

However, as the mother alleges, this never happened. Instead, she and other foreign teachers were, on many occasions, told to hide from authorities whenever they came.

This would not last for long, as in January, the law caught up with Redman. The 27-year-old has been detained in a Chinese prison since January.

Her mother, Candice, has pleaded with the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) to assist her in establishing some kind of communication line with her daughter. Dirco says they are doing the best they can.

Candice stated that it would cost her something well over R120 000 to travel to China, as she needs legal counsel to gain access to her daughter.

“If I’m not allowed to even speak to my child, the least that they can do is go see my child and give me feedback and tell me if my child is okay. I can’t fly out because I have to get R126 000 for a lawyer,” she cried.

Ndivhumo Mabaya from Dirco noted that because of the distance between the detention centre Redman is held in and the South African embassy, it is difficult to maintain constant communication with the 27-year-old.

“We are monitoring the case, and we’re considering the distance of where they are detained and where the embassy is. We cannot see them every week, but whenever they appear in court we take our time to go see them,” she said.


Penalties for visa-related crimes in China

Illegal residence in China is deemed as a serious offence. There are no grace periods for foreigners deemed as illegal aliens in China.

The length of the overstay determines the severity of the punishment. It matters not whether this was done intentionally or not.

Those who get caught a few days after their visas had expired, are often released back to their country after a maximum of 15 days held in custody.

It is unlikely that you will be detained for longer than six months-to-a-year. However, the detainment might affect your ability to gain re-entry into China again.

Out of the 800 detained – such as 19-year-old Tristan Lee Niemand – 48 SA citizens are being held in China. She has been in detention since 16 November 2018, leaving her distraught parents desperately raising funds to repatriate their child.

Niemand travelled to China after an alleged fraudulent recruitment agency, Derlin Zhao, promised her a work permit upon her arrival on foreign shores. Ndivhuwo Mabaya of The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) explained. “The consulate says the young lady is well. She is in prison, so you can’t be well when you’re in prison. We’re engaging with authorities, so that at least when she appears in court, she will be given bail. It looks like the agent misled them.”


Raising funds for their daughter

Niemand’s family have in the interim taken to the internet for assistance in trying to free their daughter. Richard Bridger, Tristan-Lee’s father, has started a Backabuddy campaign to assist with the legal and logistical costs in trying to secure Tristan’s release.

Bridger has aimed to raise R100 000 to help fund the costs, and he’s been overwhelmed by the response thus far. 


The South African




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