16 October 2026 · Verified against dated reporting and official statements.

What inspectors discovered

Authorities in Mpumalanga say roughly 200 people were found at an unregistered rehabilitation facility in Waterval B near Siyabuswa on Thursday, 15 October 2026. The inspection followed information received by social-development officials in Nkangala district, who requested police assistance.

Police spokesperson Donald Mdluli said the people at the centre included approximately 30 women, with the remainder men. Officials said some came from communities as far away as Soweto, Springs and Rustenburg. Accounts from the authorities indicate that the operators initially gave a much lower figure for the number of residents.

Chaining and sanitation allegations

Mpumalanga social-development officials reported that some residents were chained and that the site lacked adequate water and toilet facilities. The department’s Matiwane Nkabinde questioned how a site housing people, including teenagers, could be presented as a place of healing under those conditions.

These are serious findings reported by officials, but the full circumstances of each resident’s placement and treatment have not yet been established in court. Police say they are investigating how the facility was established and operated and whether criminal laws were broken.

The operators and the people inside

The facility was reportedly associated with a pastor and his wife. Police statements available on Thursday did not establish that either person had been convicted of an offence. Some later reports described arrests, but the initial official statements focused on inspection and investigation; CREATIVE KONG has not treated an arrest or specific criminal charge as confirmed without a corresponding police update.

Social-development officials said they were arranging contact with families and transport home. Because residents had arrived from different provinces, the process requires verifying family contacts and individual circumstances rather than simply moving everyone out at once.

Why the case matters beyond one building

The case raises questions about oversight of rehabilitation services, consent, the treatment of vulnerable people and the use of religious language to describe unregistered facilities. Officials said they had been tracking similar operations in the district.

What comes next is a documented assessment of each resident’s welfare, clarity about any charges, and an explanation of how such a large operation functioned without registration. The people found at the centre should not be reduced to a statistic while those questions are answered.

Sources and verification

This report distinguishes police statements and court evidence from untested claims. Source material: