Kidnappings surge in South Africa as American pastor remains missing

• Josh Sullivan, an American pastor in Gqeberha, South Africa, was kidnapped during a church service by armed men. They also stole his SUV and two congregants’ cell phones.
• Kidnappings in South Africa have drastically increased, with over 17,000 reported last year, up from 4,692 a decade ago.
• This incident is the third kidnapping in Gqeberha in three weeks, following the kidnapping of a teacher and a Chinese national.

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Authorities are searching for an American pastor who was kidnapped during a church service in South Africa, the BBC reported.

Josh Sullivan was leading a service at Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, a township in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape, on Thursday evening, April 10, when four masked men with guns entered. The suspects reportedly stole two congregants’ cell phones and the pastor’s SUV. Police later found the SUV, but Sullivan remains missing.

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Sullivan’s wife, Megan, released a statement through a family spokesperson on Saturday, April 12. She and her children were at the church during the incident but managed to escape unharmed.

“I just want to say thank you for the outpouring of love and prayers,” she said. “We beg you to continue storming the throne room until Josh is safe at home.”

Sullivan, who previously served at Fellowship Baptist Church in Maryville, Tennessee, has been sharing his ministry in South Africa since 2018.

This incident marks the third kidnapping in Gqeberha in three weeks. On Tuesday, April 8, a Chinese national was ambushed, shot, and forced into a vehicle. Three weeks ago, a teacher was kidnapped from a school parking lot.

Kidnappings are on the rise in South Africa. According to the Institute for Security Studies, more than 17,000 kidnappings were reported last year, up from 4,692 a decade ago. These kidnappings are primarily linked to armed robberies.