Latest news with #Xhosa-speaking
Express Tribune
16-04-2025
- Express Tribune
Josh Sullivan, kidnapped US pastor, rescued in deadly South Africa shootout
An American preacher kidnapped while delivering a sermon in a South African township has been rescued following a gun battle between police and his captors, local authorities said Wednesday. Josh Sullivan, 45, was abducted last Thursday during an evening church service in Motherwell, a township in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape province, according to the Fellowship Baptist Church. The South African Police Service launched a rescue mission after receiving intelligence indicating Sullivan was being held in a house in KwaMagxaki, another township in the city. Officers arriving at the location encountered gunfire from the suspects, who attempted to flee in a vehicle. A police statement described a 'high-intensity shootout' that left three unidentified suspects dead. 'As officers approached the house, they observed a vehicle on the premises. The suspects inside the vehicle upon seeing law enforcement allegedly attempted to flee and opened fire on the team,' the statement read. Sullivan, a native of Tennessee, was found inside the vehicle and was 'miraculously unharmed,' police confirmed. He is currently in 'excellent condition,' according to the statement. Tom Hatley, who Sullivan identified on his website as his mentor, confirmed the rescue in a Facebook post. 'Josh has been released,' Hatley wrote alongside a photograph of Sullivan with his family. He urged the public to respect the family's privacy, adding, 'A lot of folks love The Sullivans and they love you back, but give them some time.' Sullivan describes himself as a 'church planting missionary' and wrote on his website that he arrived in South Africa in 2018 with the aim of completing language school and establishing a church for Xhosa-speaking communities. The case highlights the growing problem of kidnapping in South Africa, where authorities reported an average of 51 abductions per day in 2023. The country also struggles with violent crime, including mass shootings and a high murder rate. Sullivan's abduction followed the killing of Islamic cleric Muhsin Hendricks, who was shot dead in Bethelsdorp, also in Eastern Cape, in February.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Yahoo
US pastor kidnapped during church service in South Africa
An American pastor has been kidnapped by armed men after they stormed his church service in South Africa, local authorities say. Josh Sullivan had been conducting a service at Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, a township in Gqeberra in the Eastern Cape, on Thursday evening when "four armed and masked male suspects entered", police spokesman Captain Andre Beetge told the BBC. The men stole two phones before fleeing the church in the 45-year-old pastor's silver Toyota Fortuner. Police later found the vehicle abandoned, but there was no trace of Mr Sullivan. A spokesperson from the US State Department told the BBC that they were aware of the kidnapping of a US citizen in South Africa. They said there was no "greater priority than the safety and security of US citizens abroad". Capt Beetge told the BBC the case had been handed to South Africa's elite police unit, known as the Hawks, which investigates serious organised and commercial crimes and high-level corruption. "The police is currently following all possible leads to locate the victim and apprehend the perpetrators," said Hawks spokesman Lt Col Avele Fumba. Jeremy Hall, the Sullivan family's spokesman, told local newspaper TimesLive that he was at the church with his wife and their children when the incident took place. "They knew his name," he said. Mr Sullivan's mother, Tonya Morton Rinker, wrote on Facebook that she was heartbroken over the news. She added: "Our congressman and American embassy are working on finding him." No ransom has been requested, according to the privately-owned News24. Mr Sullivan describes himself as "a church planting missionary" on his personal website. On it, he says he moved to South Africa with his wife and children in 2018 to establish a church for Xhosa-speaking people. Over the past decade, there has been 264% increase in kidnappings in South Africa, according to police statistics. Just a few days ago, a Chinese national was kidnapped in Gqberra. South Africa's deadly love affair with guns 'I survived a kidnapping but part of me died that day' Can South Africa solve its kidnapping problem?
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Yahoo
US pastor kidnapped during church service in South Africa
An American pastor has been kidnapped by armed men after they stormed his church service in South Africa, local authorities say. Josh Sullivan had been conducting a service at Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, a township in Gqeberra in the Eastern Cape, on Thursday evening when "four armed and masked male suspects entered", police spokesman Captain Andre Beetge told the BBC. The men stole two phones before fleeing the church in the 45-year-old pastor's silver Toyota Fortuner. Police later found the vehicle abandoned, but there was no trace of Mr Sullivan. A spokesperson from the US State Department told the BBC that they were aware of the kidnapping of a US citizen in South Africa. They said there was no "greater priority than the safety and security of US citizens abroad". Capt Beetge told the BBC the case had been handed to South Africa's elite police unit, known as the Hawks, which investigates serious organised and commercial crimes and high-level corruption. "The police is currently following all possible leads to locate the victim and apprehend the perpetrators," said Hawks spokesman Lt Col Avele Fumba. Jeremy Hall, the Sullivan family's spokesman, told local newspaper TimesLive that he was at the church with his wife and their children when the incident took place. "They knew his name," he said. Mr Sullivan's mother, Tonya Morton Rinker, wrote on Facebook that she was heartbroken over the news. She added: "Our congressman and American embassy are working on finding him." No ransom has been requested, according to the privately-owned News24. Mr Sullivan describes himself as "a church planting missionary" on his personal website. On it, he says he moved to South Africa with his wife and children in 2018 to establish a church for Xhosa-speaking people. Over the past decade, there has been 264% increase in kidnappings in South Africa, according to police statistics. Just a few days ago, a Chinese national was kidnapped in Gqberra. South Africa's deadly love affair with guns 'I survived a kidnapping but part of me died that day' Can South Africa solve its kidnapping problem?
BBC News
11-04-2025
- BBC News
US pastor Josh Sullivan kidnapped during church service in South Africa
An American pastor has been kidnapped by armed men after they stormed his church service in South Africa, local authorities say. Josh Sullivan had been conducting a service at Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, a township in Gqeberra in the Eastern Cape, on Thursday evening when "four armed and masked male suspects entered", police spokesman Captain Andre Beetge told the men stole two phones before fleeing the church in the 45-year-old pastor's silver Toyota Fortuner. Police later found the vehicle abandoned, but there was no trace of Mr Sullivan.A spokesperson from the US State Department told the BBC that they were aware of the kidnapping of a US citizen in South Africa. They said there was no "greater priority than the safety and security of US citizens abroad".Capt Beetge told the BBC the case had been handed to South Africa's elite police unit, known as the Hawks, which investigates serious organised and commercial crimes and high-level corruption."The police is currently following all possible leads to locate the victim and apprehend the perpetrators," said Hawks spokesman Lt Col Avele Hall, the Sullivan family's spokesman, told local newspaper TimesLive that he was at the church with his wife and their children when the incident took place. "They knew his name," he said. Mr Sullivan's mother, Tonya Morton Rinker, wrote on Facebook that she was heartbroken over the added: "Our congressman and American embassy are working on finding him."No ransom has been requested, according to the privately-owned News24. Mr Sullivan describes himself as "a church planting missionary" on his personal website. On it, he says he moved to South Africa with his wife and children in 2018 to establish a church for Xhosa-speaking the past decade, there has been 264% increase in kidnappings in South Africa, according to police a few days ago, a Chinese national was kidnapped in Gqberra. You may also be interested in:
