Pastor and wife arrested after 200 people found at suspected illegal South Africa rehab
Officials in Mpumalanga say they found 'gross inhumane conditions', with some patients chained to each other and others covered in sores.
At a glance
- About 200 people, some chained to each other, were found at a suspected illegal rehabilitation centre in Mpumalanga, South Africa.
- A pastor and his wife who ran the church-based facility have been charged with kidnapping; police say more charges could follow.
- South Africa's social development department said last year it had found over 100 unlawful rehab facilities, mostly in Gauteng.
A pastor and his wife have been arrested in South Africa after about 200 people, some of them in chains, were found at a suspected illegal rehabilitation centre in Mpumalanga province, in the north-east of the country.
The facility was being run from a church and was discovered on Thursday during an operation by officials in the area. Authorities said they uncovered "gross inhumane conditions" when they raided the site, with some patients found with "sores all over their bodies" and "others chained to each other".
Police have charged the couple who were running the centre with kidnapping, and say further charges could be added. The couple have not commented on the case.
Children held alongside adults
Among those at the centre were a 16-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy, who were being kept in the same room as adults, authorities said.
Unlawful centres on the rise
The case comes amid wider concern about illegal rehabilitation centres, which have mushroomed in South Africa in recent years as drug use spirals in the country.
Last year, the department of social development said it had uncovered over 100 unlawful facilities operating across South Africa. Most of them were in Gauteng province, which is home to the country's largest city, Johannesburg.
The Mpumalanga raid is the latest case to surface, and the number of people removed from the facility, around 200, reflects the scale of the operation carried out by local officials on Thursday.
Details of what happens next for the people who were held at the centre have not been set out, and the arrested couple, who ran the church-based facility, have so far made no public statement.
Source: BBC World.
Questions and answers
- What was found at the suspected illegal rehab centre in Mpumalanga?
- Officials raiding the church-based facility on Thursday found about 200 people, some chained to each other and some with sores all over their bodies. A 16-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy were being kept in the same room as adults.
- Who has been arrested over the suspected illegal rehabilitation centre in South Africa?
- A pastor and his wife who ran the facility from a church in Mpumalanga province have been charged with kidnapping. Police say more charges could be added, and the couple have not commented.
- How many illegal rehabilitation centres are there in South Africa?
- Last year the department of social development said it had uncovered more than 100 unlawful facilities operating across the country, mostly in Gauteng province, which includes Johannesburg.
