OMM Newsroom
A pastor and his wife have been arrested in South Africa after officials found around 200 people at a suspected illegal rehabilitation centre, some of them chained together, according to the BBC.
The facility was operating from a church in Mpumalanga province, in the country’s north-east. Authorities raided it on Thursday and reported finding what they described as “gross inhumane conditions”. Some patients had sores across their bodies, while others were chained to one another.
The couple, who ran the centre, have been charged with kidnapping. Police said further charges could follow. They are expected to appear in a local court on Monday.
The couple told officials they were housing 60 people, but an inspection found a much larger group, including two minors and 30 women. They were staying in crowded rooms without functioning bathrooms or running water.
Some people had been at the alleged illegal centre for an extended period, the Department of Social Development said in a statement on Friday. The couple charged 3,000 rand ($182; £137) per month to house each patient, with almost half of the fee going to the church.
Police said 14 people found at the centre had since been taken to hospital for further medical treatment. The department said some of those found there came from Gauteng province.
Illegal rehabilitation centres have proliferated in South Africa in recent years amid rising drug use. The Department of Social Development said last year it had identified more than 100 unlawful facilities across the country, most of them in Gauteng.
