The Department of International Relations and Co-operation says at least 800 South Africans are detained in foreign countries, with 98 of them nabbed in China for visa-related offences,
Around 21 percent of them are detained in South America for drug trafficking while the 98 arrested in China were nabbed in the past six months.
Additionally, more than 100 young South Africans who travelled earlier this year to teach English in China where detained, cautioned or questioned regarding visa violations.
International Relations and Co-operation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said she would engage her Chinese counterparts on the young South Africans detained in China.
She warned that young people who seek to teach in China must make sure that they consult the Chinese Embassy and verify the agents who are arranging their travel.
"The responsibility to ensure they have the correct visa for working abroad still rests with the individual," she said.
