Mpumalanga Couple Gets R1,000 Bail Each After 200 People Found Chained at Illegal Rehab Centre
- Paulina and Sakia Sepato appeared in the Mdutjana Magistrate's Court following the discovery of an alleged illegal rehabilitation centre in Siyabuswa
- More than 200 people were found at the Waterval B property on 15 October 2026, with some chained together and showing signs of physical neglect
- The couple faces charges related to running an unregistered rehabilitation centre and the alleged kidnapping of around 200 people
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Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has spent a decade reporting on South Africa's political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online journalism. (edited)
MPUMALANGA — A married couple accused of running an unregistered rehabilitation centre and allegedly holding around 200 people captive has been released on bail of R1,000 each after appearing before the Mdutjana Magistrate's Court in Siyabuswa.
Paulina Sepato, 58, and Sakia Thabo Sepato, 59, made their appearance on Monday, 20 October 2026. Both were granted bail and are due back in court on 26 November 2026.
Charges against a third accused were withdrawn, and that individual did not appear.
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What authorities found at the Waterval B property
The discovery was made on Thursday, 15 October 2026, when officials from the Department of Social Development in the Nkangala District visited premises at Waterval B in Siyabuswa as part of an inspection of suspected illegal rehabilitation facilities. Upon arrival, they found conditions serious enough to request police assistance.
Inside the property, rooms were severely overcrowded, with up to 37 people occupying a single space. Several individuals had visible sores on their bodies, and some were found physically restrained by chains.
Officials described the conditions at the facility as "grossly inhumane". Among the more than 200 people recovered were an 11-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl, both of whom had been housed alongside adult men.
Foreign nationals chained up inside Johannesburg property
Briefly News reported in 2024 that police attended to a complaint of foreign nationals being kept at a property in Johannesburg.
A video surfaced online of police at a Mayfair property in Johannesburg whose occupants were allegedly chained up.
In a few clips, residents are heard detailing the horrors of what they witnessed, though no arrests were made.
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Source: Briefly News
