THE case involving South African creche teacher Nolusindiso Hleko, who was allegedly assaulted by her HR manager in Shanghai, China, has been escalated to the Chinese Ministry.
The South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) spokesman Clayson Monyela has confirmed this to Daily Sun on Friday, 6 October.
Nolusindiso (30), who had been teaching English in China, shared her story on social media, breaking the silence about the ill-treatment of "workers under employers".
Her plea for support was met with swift action, leading to her being taken to a safe place in Germany where she now receives support.
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Nolusindiso moved to China in August 2022 after she had moved to Busan, South Korea in 2017 to teach English.
She shared her travel journey on YouTube, discussing both the positives and negatives of both countries.
Unlike her Korean experience, she found her place in China. In one video titled My worst Year Abroad, I moved to China in 2022, posted on 3 September 2023, she described it as the "craziest stupid decision" and an adventure marked with "fear and certainly".
It wasn't long until she broke her silence about her alleged assault now in October.
Nolusindiso's story's forms part of other gripping stories of teachers who mysteriously lost their lives in China.
In 2021, English teacher Siphosethu Mqokozo (30) died in Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China, while engineering student Kgothatso Madunana (24) was repatriated after falling to her death from her 13th-floor apartment.
In 2022, NomaQocwa Blackie (27) was found dead in her Shanghai apartment in April, with speculations suggesting she died from starvation due to the hard Covid-19 lockdown in the area.
One South African-based teacher teaching grade 1 to 6 in South Korea told Daily Sun how everyone's experience of these areas was different.
She explained how she was nervous, especially being in a foreign place, which was formally known for not having little to no diversity.
"I wondered if I would be good at my job, if I would get along with my colleagues because I have read a lot and saw a lot of videos where people have different experiences as a English teacher, and how they're not liked and mistreated."
However, she found nice people and made a home for herself in that unfamiliar space.
"It's scary hearing these stories of what people go through... I have not come in contact with those situations because I have been privileged enough to be in a really good working space... I have been here for almost two years and I am comfortable."
Clayson has urged those who travel to foreign countries for leisure or work to familiarise themselves with the South African Embassy, which should be their first line of contact in case of emergencies.
