The kidnapping of a Tennessee priest operating in South Africa comes in the middle of a rising kidnapping price in the nation over the last one decade, sustained by heists.
Josh Sullivan, a 34-year-old Fellowship Baptist Church priest and missionary working in Motherwell, was apparently abducted by a number of armed, concealed guys that burglarized his church in the Eastern Cape Province on the night of April 10, took cellular phones from and repelled with Sullivan in his very own vehicle.
“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 record. “The most recent quarterly crime stats, released on 25 November [2024], show an ongoing rise.”
Most kidnapping cases over the 2023-2024 period “were perpetrated during aggravated robberies, such as car or truck hijackings or armed robberies at businesses, homes, or in public spaces,” the ISS Africa record checks out.
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Josh Sullivan, a 34-year-old priest from Tennessee, has actually been abducted in South Africa. (Fellowship Baptist Church/Facebook)
Eastern Cape Hawks agent Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakhuvana informed South African information electrical outlet IOL that the suspects that abducted Sullivan required a ransom money.
“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 informed IOL.
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The South African Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, called the Hawks, prompted any person with details to find onward, stating “all information will be treated with the strictest confidentiality,” IOL reported.
The ISS Africa record keeps in mind that much less than 5% of kidnappings in South Africa include ransom money needs.
Republican Tennessee Sen Marsha Blackburn informed 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 touch with the State Department relating to Joshua Sullivan’s kidnapping in South Africa. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images)
Bobby McDonald, a speaker in criminal justice at the University of New Haven in Connecticut, informed Fox News Digital that it looks 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, informed Fox News’ Madison Scarpino that Sullivan remained in a petition conference 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 operate in South Africa, was abducted 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 back, Sullivan and his better half stated tales of being burglarized inSouth Africa They have actually invested an overall of 6 years in the nation and grew a brand-new church in Motherwell in 2021.
“Robbing is a very common occurrence. It’s super common,” Sullivan claimed in the video clip.
His better half after that stated 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 informed the church, including that numerous residents “can’t put food on the table.”
Josh Sullivan wants sporting activities and made use of to be a champ secondary school football gamer. (Facebook)
“They’re really just looking for money to live off of,” she claimed.
McDonald kept in mind 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, defined 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 defined Sullivan in a Facebook message as “a kind, big-hearted, gentle giant.”
Josh Sullivan’s household 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 actually likewise absorbed 2 Xhosa kids to increase in addition to their very own kids.
