An American pastor, Josh Sullivan, has been kidnapped in South Africa during a church service, sparking an intense investigation by local authorities and international concern. The incident occurred on Thursday evening at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, a township in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), Eastern Cape.
According to police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge, four armed and masked men stormed the church during a service, identified Pastor Sullivan by name, and forcibly abducted him. The assailants stole two mobile phones before fleeing the scene in the pastor’s silver Toyota Fortuner. The vehicle was later discovered abandoned, but there was no sign of Sullivan.
The case has since been handed over to South Africa’s elite investigative unit, the Hawks, which deals with serious crimes including kidnappings and organized crime. Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Avele Fumba confirmed that all possible leads are being pursued in the effort to locate Sullivan and apprehend the perpetrators.
Sullivan, 45, is a missionary from the United States who moved to South Africa in 2018 with his wife and children to establish a church for Xhosa-speaking people. His website describes him as a “church planting missionary” dedicated to serving local communities. The traumatic incident unfolded while Sullivan’s own family was present at the church. Jeremy Hall, a spokesperson for the Sullivan family, told TimesLive that the attackers knew the pastor by name, suggesting he may have been deliberately targeted.
The U.S. State Department has acknowledged the kidnapping, stating that the safety and security of American citizens abroad is a top priority. Meanwhile, Sullivan’s mother, Tonya Morton Rinker, expressed her anguish on Facebook and confirmed that U.S. officials, including their congressman and the American embassy, are actively involved in efforts to find him.
No ransom demand has been made as of yet, according to South African news outlet News24. The kidnapping comes amid a troubling rise in abductions in the country, with police statistics showing a 264% increase over the past decade. Just days prior, a Chinese national was also kidnapped in Gqeberha, highlighting a growing security crisis in the region.
