Concern for East London teacher held in China

Niemand, 19, has been in Chinese detention centre for more than a month

East London teen Tristan-Lee Niemand has been held in a Chinese detention centre for almost a month, and according to family waiting back home for news, she has yet to see anyone from the South African government.
Niemand, 19, had never left SA before boarding a plane to China last month. She was arrested, allegedly for having the incorrect visa to teach English in the Chinese city of Nanjing.
According to the department of international relations & cooperation (Dirco) spokesperson Ndivhuwo Mabaya, there is little the government can do to intervene when South Africans are arrested abroad, except to ensure they are treated fairly in the prison or detention centre.
He said Chinese authorities had informed them of the young woman’s detention.
By the time of going to print, however, he had not said whether Niemand had been visited by the SA consulate.
Her mom, Stacey-Lee, said Niemand had only been teaching for 11 days and had not even received her first paycheck when she was arrested.
The worried mom said she had received “absolutely nothing” in the way of help from Dirco, the consulate in China or the government.
E-mails between the mother and Dirco show that the institution is aware of the situation but gives little in the way of information to the concerned parent. “Kindly be informed that our Consulate General in Shanghai responded and they informed us that the case is still under investigation and there are no new developments,” the e-mail reads.
Stacey-Lee said she still had no official answers as to why her daughter was being detained or when they could expect her to be released.
“I just want to know if she is okay. Is she being looked after? Where is she sleeping? All I know comes from hearsay. Apparently they are being detained to give evidence against the companies [who illegally brought the teachers into China on the wrong visas],” she said.
Dirco’s Mabaya said many South Africans did not go through the embassy when going to work in foreign countries, sometime resulting in them being arrested for not having the proper permits.
Mabaya said there were many South Africans detained in China, for various reasons. He said that going into the county on the incorrect visa was a common cause.
“We have said many times that South Africans must make sure they have the correct visa when travelling to another country,” said Mabaya.
He warned that in reality there was not much Dirco could do for someone arrested abroad.
“We can try make sure you are treated fairly and [stay] connected. In China there are a lot of opportunities for South Africans to teach. They’re in demand. But people don’t go through the embassy, they use a broker [instead],” said Mabaya.
He said brokers wanted to get teachers over as quickly as possible in order to make money, which was why they often secured a student visa which was “easier to get”.
These brokers then promise to swop that visa for a work one upon arrival but never do.
“Get the correct visa and go through the embassy,” he warned. Attempts to get comment from Chinese officials, including the Chinese embassy in Pretoria, were unsuccessful.
Questions e-mailed to Ma Yuanchun, director of the foreign media relations division for China, were also not answered...

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