About 200 people found at unregistered Siyabuswa rehab as Social Development warns families

About 200 people, some allegedly chained and including at least two children, were found at an unregistered drug rehabilitation centre run from a church in Waterval B, Siyabuswa, in Mpumalanga last week. The Department of Social Development has since warned families to check that a treatment centre is registered before admitting a relative.

Social Development officials from the Nkangala District inspected the property on Thursday, 15 October. The operators, reported to be a pastor and his wife, had said they were housing about 60 people. Police spokesperson Brigadier Donald Mdhluli told EWN that police found about 200 people on the premises, roughly 30 of them women. An 11-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl were among them.

Many of the residents were traced to townships in Johannesburg and Rustenburg, police said. Fourteen were taken for medical treatment.

In court

The couple, aged 59 and 58, were arrested and appeared in the Mdutjana Magistrate's Court on Monday, 19 October, accused of running an unregistered treatment centre. Police said they were also investigating allegations of kidnapping and breaches of health and safety regulations. Each was granted R1,000 bail, and the case was postponed to 26 November, The Bulrushes reported. A third person who had been arrested was released after his case was withdrawn.

What the department says

In a statement on 19 October, the department said reports of residents being chained, and of children present without proper safeguards, were deeply concerning. Minister of Social Development Dina Pule said the immediate priority was to protect the rights, safety and wellbeing of those affected, particularly children.

Social workers are assessing the people removed from the centre, providing psychosocial support and arranging referrals. Where it is appropriate, they will be reunited with their families, a process that may take time because they come from several provinces. The department said it is working with the police and other government departments.

What the law requires

Under the Prevention of and Treatment for Substance Abuse Act of 2008, no one may establish or run a treatment centre unless it is registered. The rule applies equally to private, non-profit and faith-based centres, and every centre must meet set standards of care, treatment and rehabilitation.

Before you admit someone

The department's advice to families looking for help with substance use is to check the centre's registration with the provincial Department of Social Development and ask to see a valid registration certificate. Speak to a social worker about treatment options first. Advertising, word of mouth or a centre's religious affiliation is not proof that it is registered or safe.

Once a relative has been admitted, stay in contact and involved in their treatment, and raise any concern about their safety promptly.

Suspected unregistered centres can be reported to the nearest Department of Social Development office, which can also give information on registered centres and referrals. Violence, chaining, forced labour, neglect or degrading treatment should be reported to the South African Police Service.

Sources: Department of Social Development statement, 19 October 2026 (gov.za); EWN, 16 October 2026; eNCA and Sunday World, 16 October 2026; The Bulrushes, 19 October 2026.