South African police say around 200 people have been rescued from an unregistered rehabilitation center in the north of the country. Two suspects have been arrested as authorities investigate allegations of kidnapping and violations of health and safety regulations.
Media reports say some residents at the facility in Siyabuswa in Mpumalanga Province were allegedly chained and denied food, although police have not confirmed those claims.
Police reportedly acted on a tip-off about the property that is allegedly owned by a preacher and his wife. Fourteen of those rescued were taken for medical treatment, while investigations continue into the conditions at the facility and how the residents ended up there.
South Africa has hundreds of registered substance-abuse rehabilitation centers.
Some are state-run but the majority are private. Some are residential facilities for children.