RUSTENBURG - Former church congregants have opened a case of kidnapping in South Africa against a self-proclaimed prophet after a teenage girl was allegedly trafficked to Eswatini without travel documents or their consent.
According to the Times of Swaziland, the prophet - who owns a church in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg - took the 16-year-old to Eswatini without the consent of her parents.
The parents cannot be named to protect the identity of the young woman.
The girl was reportedly visiting her grandmother in Mpumalanga when she was abducted. Her parents opened a case of kidnapping at the Vosloorus police station on New Year's day.
The child's parents claim the "prophet" has opened a ministry in Eswatini.
"We are disheartened as parents because he took our child against our will and without a travel document. My wife is also hysterical about the disappearance of our child, and we have even opened a case of kidnapping here in South Africa against the prophet," the father said.
Eswatini police's deputy information and communications officer, inspector Nosipho Mnguni, said they were aware of the case, but it was not directly being handled by that country.
Mnguni said they were working with their South African counterparts on investigating the matter.