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A pastor and his wife have been arrested in South Africa after 200 people, some in chains, were found held at a suspected illegal rehabilitation centre in the north-eastern part of the country.<\/b><\/p>\n
The facility, operated from a church in Mpumalanga province, was discovered during an operation by officials in the area on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Authorities said they uncovered “gross inhumane conditions” when they raided the facility, with some patients found with “sores all over their bodies” and “others chained to each other”.<\/p>\n
Police have since charged the couple, who were running the facility, with kidnapping but could add more charges. They have not yet commented.<\/p>\n
Illegal rehabilitation centres have mushroomed in South Africa in recent years as drug use spirals in the country.<\/p>\n
Last year, the department of social development said it had uncovered over 100 unlawful facilities operating across the country, mostly in Gauteng province, home to the country’s largest city, Johannesburg.<\/p>\n
A girl of 16 and a boy of 11 were found being kept in the same room as adults in the Mpumalanga centre.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n