The South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Hawks today raided the offices of ZTE, a Chinese owned provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions, the media reports said.

The police acted on the complaint that many of ZTE’s employees were in possession of fraudulent work permits and that they were in the country illegally.

The company said that they were targeted unfairly, questioning where the complaints originated from and even suggesting that their competitors may be behind the complaints. ZTE added that all their employees had the required work permits and other documentation.

ZTE vowed to fight back, saying that they are preparing to sue Home Affairs because of the latest incident.

According to a home affairs spokesperson the joint operation between the Department of Home Affairs, SAPS and the Hawks was well within the law, adding that a search warrant is not needed for an investigation of the nature that took place today at the ZTE offices.