Couple held after 200 people found at unregistered Mpumalanga rehab centre
A 59-year-old man and 58-year-old woman face kidnapping and substance-abuse law charges after Social Development inspectors called police to a property at Waterval B in Siyabuswa.
A couple has been arrested in Mpumalanga after about 200 people were found at a premises allegedly being run as an unregistered rehabilitation centre at Waterval B in Siyabuswa.
The South African Police Service said the man, 59, and the woman, 58, were arrested on the morning of Friday, 16 October 2026. The arrests follow an operation on Thursday, 15 October 2026, when officials from the Department of Social Development in the Nkangala District were carrying out inspections targeting illegal rehabilitation centres and asked police for assistance at the property.
According to the police account, preliminary investigations suggest the premises was being operated as a rehabilitation centre, and it is further alleged that the couple ran the facility without the required registration authorisation while accommodating roughly 200 people on the property.
Fourteen people had to be taken for medical treatment during Thursday night’s operation. The couple was taken in for questioning.
The two are currently facing charges of kidnapping, contravention of section 19(1) read with section 19(13) of the Prevention of and Treatment for Substance Abuse Act, Act 70 of 2008, covering the establishment and management of an unregistered treatment centre, and failure to comply with health and safety standards under applicable environmental health by-laws and the National Health Act.
A team of detectives and other specialised units was assembled under the leadership of the Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Apaphia Modise, to work the case. Police said at this stage they cannot rule out the possibility of further arrests as investigations continue, and that additional charges may be added depending on the outcome.
The two are expected to appear at the Mdutjana Magistrate’s Court in Siyabuswa on Monday, 19 October 2026.
Lieutenant General Modise commended officials from the Department of Social Development and Environmental Health for their contribution to the safety and welfare of the victims, and thanked SAPS members for the arrest, saying the team will ensure that justice is served for the victims.
Enquiries on the case are directed to Brigadier Donald Mdhluli of the SAPS.
This report is drawn from the South African Police Service media statement on the matter, available at https://www.saps.gov.za/newsroom/msspeechdetail.php?nid=71884. The statement is a police summary of the operation and the charges, not the court record, and the allegations against the couple have not been tested in court.
