The owner of a controversial Eastern Cape rehabilitation centre near Butterworth – and six of his staff – were due to appear in court on charges of attempted murder and kidnapping after the alleged assault of a 26-year-old patient, reports Daily Dispatch.
It is not the first time the facility, Khulalani Abantu Bam, has made headlines over the past 10 years, with allegations of abuse and inhumane conditions dating back as far as 2017, when investigations revealed poor living conditions and abuse.
Though registered as a non-profit organisation in 2015, it is not licensed as a drug treatment centre, but has continued to accommodate people battling substance abuse and mental illness – for about R2 000 a month.
A 2017 Dispatch investigation found that efforts to shut down the facility were linked to the death of a patient, with other residents at the time describing conditions as “far worse than those in prison”.
When a Dispatch team visited the facility on Tuesday, a relative of one patient alleged that patients were frequently abused by staff.
One Ndabakazi resident defended the centre, saying it had helped many people overcome addiction.
Eastern Cape Social Development MEC Bukiwe Fanta condemned the operation of unlicensed treatment facilities, saying that despite Khulalani Abantu Bam being registered as an NPO, that did not entitle it or qualify it to operate as a legitimate treatment centre.
“The absence of compliance with the Prevention of and Treatment for Substance Abuse Act raises serious concerns about the safety and well-being of people seeking help from illegal treatment centres,” she said.
The department said that despite a notice of non-compliance being issued to the organisation in 2022, it had continued operating, and authorities were considering legal action to enforce its closure.
Police spokesperson Captain Majola Nkohli confirmed the arrests, linked to allegations that a patient had escaped from the centre on 4 May but was then forcibly returned and assaulted.
“The victim was later visited by a relative, who saw his condition and took him to hospital, before reporting a criminal case. A case of attempted murder and kidnapping was opened on 12 May.”
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Rehab centre manager arrested after patient beaten to death
Multi-million-rand Gauteng rehab centres under investigation
Time for humane, radical rethink on drug policy in South Africa