The kidnapping of a Tennessee priest working in South Africa comes in the course of a rising kidnapping value within the nation over the past one decade, sustained by heists.
Josh Sullivan, a 34-year-old Fellowship Baptist Church priest and missionary working in Motherwell, was apparently kidnapped by quite a few armed, hid guys that burglarized his church within the Eastern Cape Province on the night time of April 10, took mobile telephones from and repelled with Sullivan in his very personal car.
“The South African Police Service’s (SAPS) annual crime statistics show that in the past decade, kidnappings increased by 264% from 4,692 in 2014/15 to 17,061 in 2023/24,” the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Africa claimed in a December 2024 document. “The most recent quarterly crime stats, released on 25 November [2024], show an ongoing rise.”
Most kidnapping circumstances over the 2023-2024 interval “were perpetrated during aggravated robberies, such as car or truck hijackings or armed robberies at businesses, homes, or in public spaces,” the ISS Africa document checks out.
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Josh Sullivan, a 34-year-old priest from Tennessee, has really been kidnapped in South Africa. (Fellowship Baptist Church/Facebook)
Eastern Cape Hawks agent Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakhuvana knowledgeable South African info electrical outlet IOL that the suspects that kidnapped Sullivan required a ransom cash.
“In response to the incident, a multidisciplinary task team consist[ing] of various police specialised [sic] units was activated. The joint team is currently following all possible leads to locate the victim and apprehend the perpetrators. A ransom was demanded by the suspects,” Mhlakhuvana knowledgeable IOL.
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The South African Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, referred to as the Hawks, prompted any particular person with particulars to seek out onward, stating “all information will be treated with the strictest confidentiality,” IOL reported.
The ISS Africa document retains in thoughts that a lot lower than 5% of kidnappings in South Africa embody ransom cash wants.
Republican Tennessee Sen Marsha Blackburn knowledgeable Fox News Digital in a declaration that her “prayers are with Pastor Sullivan’s family and those working tirelessly to rescue him from these vicious criminal gangs.”
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“I have been in touch with the State Department and submitted an inquiry with the embassy in South Africa, and they are working to assist this family any way they can,” Blackburn claimed.
Sen Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn, claimed she is in contact with the State Department regarding Joshua Sullivan’s kidnapping in South Africa. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images)
Bobby McDonald, a speaker in legal justice on the University of New Haven in Connecticut, knowledgeable Fox News Digital that it appears like promoters functioning “in different countries, whether it’s in African countries or South American countries, a lot of times they are walking into situations where there are heavily gang-related activity or the desire to… do harm to people who are from different countries … trying to make a difference.”
“South Africa, over the years — and I’ve been there once — you can be in a very well-to-do neighborhood in South Africa and moments later be in an underdeveloped or underprivileged neighborhood — the shanty towns that we’ve seen in the past coming out of apartheid,” he claimed. “There are a lot of different areas … slightly off the beaten path, and you can find yourself in a situation that’s gonna potentially cause some harm to you and your family.”
Tom Hatley, priest at Fellowship Baptist Church, knowledgeable Fox News’ Madison Scarpino that Sullivan remained in a petition convention Thursday when “somebody came in, and then others followed him, and they asked for him by name and then, and long story short, they took him at gunpoint.”
“It was something that we all knew could happen there, but we always hoped and prayed that it would not,” Hatley claimed.
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He included that Fellowship Baptist leaders “expected Josh to be returned that Thursday night, and when he was not, we hoped that he would be returned that Friday morning. But things have just not worked out that way.”
Joshua Sullivan, a Tennessee priest doing missionary function in South Africa, was kidnapped on April 10. (Facebook)
Sullivan continues to be “cool and calm” and is “handling” the circumstance, Hatley claimed.
In a live discussion posted by Sullivan’s home church in Tennessee, Fellowship Baptist Church, 4 months again, Sullivan and his higher half said tales of being burglarized inSouth Africa They have really invested an total of 6 years within the nation and grew a brand-new church in Motherwell in 2021.
“Robbing is a very common occurrence. It’s super common,” Sullivan claimed within the video clip.
His higher half after that said a time when she was burglarized of a brand-new apple iphone.
“The crime doesn’t stem from gangs. There’s gangs…but that’s not where the crime stems from,” she knowledgeable the church, together with that quite a few residents “can’t put food on the table.”
Josh Sullivan needs sporting actions and made use of to be a champ secondary faculty soccer gamer. (Facebook)
“They’re really just looking for money to live off of,” she claimed.
McDonald stored in thoughts that “a little bit of money in certain areas can be a lot of money” in others.
“Maybe this is something that’s going on quite heavily in that area, and there may be other kidnappings down the road from these gangs. … It’ll be interesting to see how the South African authorities want to handle this,” he claimed. “It’s never good when anybody’s kidnapped. It’s even worse when missionaries from other countries are kidnapped.”
Sullivan’s mommy, Tonya Morton Rinker, outlined Sullivan’s “humor and wit” as a “blessing.”
“[H]e’s always ready with a joke, and forever seeking to make people laugh,” she claimed in a declaration. “He’s an exceptional father, husband, and son, embodying kindness, strength and generosity. He has a servants heart, a kind compassionate spirit and is filled with selflessness. He has a burden for lost souls and has devoted his life to serving God in South Africa. I pray for his safe return, filled with faith and assurance.”
Missionary Mark Coffey outlined Sullivan in a Facebook message as “a kind, big-hearted, gentle giant.”
Josh Sullivan’s family are advocating responses after his April 10 kidnapping. (Facebook)
“Originally from Maryville, Tennessee, Josh is 34 years old and a member of Fellowship Baptist Church in Maryville, where Pastor Tom Hatley is his pastor,” Coffey claimed. “Growing up, Josh developed a deep love for sports and was a standout football player at Maryville High School, where he was part of three state championship teams. That same passion and discipline now fuel his heart for missions and ministry. Josh and his wife, Meagan, first came to South Africa in 2015 for a six-month internship as part of their Bible training.”
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Coffey proceeded: “It was during this time that the Lord began to stir their hearts specifically for the Xhosa people. They returned in 2018 as full-time church planting missionaries, determined to share the Gospel and see lives changed. Josh committed himself to two years of language school and became fluent in Xhosa so he could preach, disciple, and minister more effectively. That dedication led to the planting of Fellowship Baptist Church in the township of Motherwell—a community that has become home to their hearts.”
The Sullivans have really likewise absorbed 2 Xhosa children to extend along with their very personal children.
