Four masked men kidnapped Josh Sullivan at gunpoint on April 10 while he was delivering a sermon. The 34-year-old from Tennessee leads a church in Motherwell, a township in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province. Local news reports say at least four elite police teams investigated the incident. They rescued Sullivan on April 15. He was unharmed and reunited with his family.
Sullivan was holding a prayer meeting with about 30 people on April 10 when armed men entered the church. They stole two cellphones from church members, pushed Sullivan’s wife to the ground, and took off with Sullivan in his truck. The truck was found abandoned a few hours later.
Sullivan’s captors took him to Gqeberha, just 12 miles south. They held him in a gated, concrete building and made a ransom demand, according to Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, a spokeswoman for the South Africa Police Service.
The South African Police Service gathered intelligence and zeroed in on a house. They spotted several men in a parked vehicle.
Police report a shootout began when suspects in the car tried to escape and began firing at them. Three unidentified suspects were killed.
Lieutenant Colonel Avele Fumba is a spokesman for the South African Police Service. “The victim was found inside the same vehicle from which the suspects had launched their attack,” he said in a statement. “Miraculously unharmed, he was immediately assessed by medical personnel and is currently in an excellent condition.”
Police data shows the number of kidnappings in South Africa has risen by 264% over the past decade. The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) is an Africa-focused think tank. It reports that these kidnappings are often linked to armed robberies.
No ransom was paid to Sullivan’s kidnappers. Their motive is still under investigation. The New York Times reports Fumba believes the abduction was driven by “greedy youngsters” who were likely looking to make some “quick cash.” He says the police are still looking for others who might have been involved.
Sullivan’s wife Meagan released a statement through a family spokesperson expressing thanks for “the outpouring of love and prayers.” The couple began ministering among the Xhosa people in 2018. They have six children.
Pray that God will protect the Sullivan family and draw many South African people to Himself.
