A 17-year-old who was allegedly tortured at an illegal drug rehabilitation centre with his brother, who later died, has told of how they were assaulted and starved for days.
The teen, who cannot be named as he is underage, and his 28-year-old sibling, Jacob Sekgotla, were taken to the Appreciate Disciplinary Camp on July 2 after they were assaulted by Appreciate Makhubele in front of their mother, Maggie, at their home in Motjeketla village in Limpopo.
He recalled how he and his brother were beaten up and not given food over the next few days.
Their mother paid R2,000 for them to be taken to the camp.
“Our mother called Appreciate [Makhubele] to come fetch us and take us to his camp. He was very furious and beat us in front of my mother. He told us to apologise to her. The beatings continued at the camp,” said the teen.
“At some stage, I just stood and watched my brother being severely beaten like a hardened criminal with a chain and pipe. We were defenceless, hungry and thirsty, but nothing was offered to us.
“Jacob was stomped on and was bleeding profusely. There were other boys at the camp, but there was no way they could intervene,” he said.
The teen said Makhubele called their mother on July 10 when he realised that Jacob was unwell.
Sekgotla said Makhubele suggested that they take Jacob to a traditional healer, but she took him to hospital due to the severity of his injuries.
He died at Mankweng hospital two days later.
Limpopo police spokesperson Col Malesela Ledwaba said Makhubele was arrested on July 22 and has been charged with murder.
“Forensic postmortem analysis was conducted on 18 July 2025, and a pathologist confirmed that the deceased had sustained severe injuries. A case of an inquest [which was initially opened] was then changed to murder on 21 July and [the matter] transferred to Modjadjiskloof police for further investigations.”
Makhubele is expected to apply for bail in the Modjadjiskloof magistrate’s court on Thursday.
Sekgotla said her sons started using drugs in 2007 at a time when she had been admitted to hospital with lung complications.
When she was discharged, she said she battled for years to get them to stop using drugs.
“I was so sick I had no choice but to leave my sons alone, as their elder sister had just got married. Every month, I made sure that I sent them money. Little did I know that they were using it to buy drugs,” she said.
A case of an inquest [which was initially opened] was then changed to murder on 21 July and [the matter] transferred to Modjadjiskloof police for further investigations.
— Limpopo police spokesperson Col Malesela Ledwaba
Sekgotla said her children also dropped out of school that year.
Jacob was in Grade 11 while the teenager was in Grade 5.
“I didn’t know anything about registered rehabilitation centres, so I called a local man [Makhubele] who is known to discipline drug addicts,” Sekgotla said.
The teen said he and his brother started using drugs because it seemed fashionable in their village.
“We didn’t see anything wrong because almost everyone our age was doing so.”
The teenager said he was still in shock after his ordeal and has decided to quit drugs.
“After enduring the torture at the camp, I vowed to myself that I will never use drugs again. Unfortunately, I cannot go back to school as the teachers are saying I am too old for primary school. I now want to change my life and become a better person,” he said.
Limpopo social development spokesperson Joshua Kwapa said they were collaborating with the police to shut down illegal rehab centres across the province.
Kwapa said that people in need of drug rehabilitation services should contact a social worker or go to a health facility, and they would be directed to a registered centre. — Additional Reporting Nandi Ntini
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