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The Department of Social Development officials in Mpumalanga’s Nkangala District discovered approximately 200 people at a church in Waterval B, Siyabuswa during compliance inspections targeting illegal rehabilitation centres on October 15, 2026. The 59-year-old man and 58-year-old woman initially claimed to be operating a small facility with only six residents but the inspection revealed far more people living in grossly inhumane conditions. Some of those present had sores all over their bodies while others were chained to one another with no access to proper sanitation or running water, according to officials from the department.
Brigadier Donald Mdhluli, spokesperson for the Mpumalanga police, said the couple was arrested the next day. “14 people had to be taken for medical treatment during the operation, while the suspects were taken in for questioning by police,” Mdhluli said. The pair now face charges of kidnapping, operating an unregistered treatment centre in contravention of the Prevention of and Treatment for Substance Abuse Act and failing to comply with health and safety standards under environmental health by-laws and the National Health Act.
According to the South African Police Service statement, many of the rescued individuals had been brought to the centre from distant locations such as Rustenburg, Hazyview, Mamelodi, Soweto and Springs. The facility charged a monthly fee of 3,000 rand per person, the Department of Social Development reported. Among those rescued were an 11-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl who were housed with adult men over 22 years old.
A parliamentary question reply to the Minister of Social Development placed the total number of identified illegal or unregistered substance abuse rehabilitation treatment facilities in the country at 197. The Department of Social Development has shut down facilities in multiple provinces including the Western Cape, Free State, Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng after issuing enforcement letters, according to the official response published by the Parliamentary Monitoring Group. The department visits such sites to advise on registration requirements while running media campaigns to raise awareness about the risks of unregistered centres.
Department of Social Development official Thoko Mahlangu said officials discovered people were admitted there against their will. “We discovered people were admitted there against their will, the conditions were horrific and a gross violation of human rights,” she said. The South African National AIDS Council Civil Society Forum has previously condemned the operation of unregistered rehabilitation facilities in a statement issued in November 2025 while police in Mpumalanga have assembled a team of detectives under Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Apaphia Modise to thoroughly investigate the Siyabuswa case.
The couple is expected to appear at the Mdutjana Magistrate’s Court in Siyabuswa on October 19, 2026. Police have indicated that further arrests cannot be ruled out as the probe continues into how the centre was established and operated without authorisation. The rescued individuals are receiving support from social development services following their removal from the premises.
