Authorities in South Africa have arrested a pastor and his wife after about 200 people were discovered at a suspected unlicensed rehabilitation facility in the north-east of the country. Some of those held were restrained with chains.
The facility was run out of a church in Mpumalanga province. Officials carried out the operation there on Thursday.
Raid reveals harsh conditions and restrained patients
Officials who searched the site described what they saw as “gross inhumane conditions”. Authorities said some patients had sores across their bodies, while others were chained to one another.
The couple had told officials they were housing 60 people. Inspectors, however, found many more, including two minors and 30 women, crammed into rooms without working bathrooms or running water.
Couple charged with kidnapping as investigation continues
Police have charged the couple who ran the facility with kidnapping and said further charges could follow. The pair have not yet commented.
The couple reportedly charged patients a monthly fee of 3,000 rand ($182; £137), with almost half of that money going to the church. Police said 14 people from the centre have been taken to hospital for further medical care. The couple is expected to appear in a local court on Monday.
Illegal rehab centres grow as drug use rises nationwide
Illegal rehabilitation centres have multiplied in South Africa in recent years as drug use has spiralled. Last year, the department of social development said it had uncovered more than 100 unlawful facilities across the country, mostly in Gauteng province.
In a statement on Friday, the department said some of the people found at this facility had come from Gauteng. It also said some had spent a while at the alleged illegal centre.
