South African gunmen kidnapped an American missionary in the middle of their preaching, sparking anger and concern over the country’s growing kidnapping crisis.
Pastor Josh Sullivan preached on Thursday evening, April 10 in the township of the suburb of the Scholarship Baptist Church (Gqeberha) in Motherwell (formerly Port Elizabeth). According to police and a colleague, the incident appeared to be a kidnapping related to ransom.
“A sermon was allegedly conducted at the church, with four armed and masked male suspects entering the building. They robbed two cell phones and then kidnapped the 45-year-old male pastor and fled the scene,” police said in a statement issued Friday.
Rev. Jeremy Hall, the pastor of Gqeberha, told AFP that the kidnapping may be financially motivated. “They knew him by name,” he said. Sullivan reportedly attended a prayer meeting, including his wife and six children, when the attackers attacked.
The attackers forced Sullivan into his vehicle and drove away. It was later discovered that the car had been abandoned about 1.5 kilometers (less than a mile from the church).
According to information on his personal website, Sullivan originally came from Tennessee and arrived in South Africa with his family.
The incident is one of several recent kidnappings in the area. Earlier this week, a Chinese national was also kidnapped in Gqeberha along the Indian Ocean, about 920 kilometers (570 miles) southeast of Johannesburg.
In recent years, kidnappings in South Africa have risen sharply. Police statistics show that in the 2023/2024 fiscal year, there were more than 17,000 reported cases, an increase of 11% over the previous year. Many of these incidents are attributed to organized criminal gangs targeting individual ransoms.
Authorities say the investigation is underway and efforts to safely restore Pastor Sullivan are underway.
