The ZCC pastor, who raped a 15-year-old congregant in Ermelo and then gave the victim’s brother R50, asking him not to report the matter to anyone, has been sentenced to two life terms in prison.
The Ermelo Regional Court convicted and sentenced the Zion Christian Church pastor, 51, to two life terms after he was convicted on two counts for raping a 15-year-old church-goer member on two separate occasions.
The accused and the victim were living in the same area and attending the same church, and these rapes happened between July and September 2020.
"In one incident, the accused came to the victim’s house and found the victim with his brother. He sent the victim’s brother to the nearby shop to buy him tea," NPA regional spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said.
"When he returned, he found the victim and the accused naked in his mother’s bedroom. He then gave the victim’s brother R50 and asked him not to report the matter to anyone," Nyuswa said.
In a second incident, the victim was on her way to meet up with her sister when the accused called her to his house. When she was in the house, the accused locked the door, threw her on the bed, and raped her.
"The matter was reported, and the victim was taken to Ermelo Thuthuzela Care Centre for medical examination, counselling, and psychosocial support," Nyuswa said.
In court, the accused denied the allegation levelled against him.
State prosecutor Chanѐ Rothman led the testimony of the victim, and the victim’s brother also testified from what he observed on the day. Their evidence was corroborated by the victim’s mother, as well as the medical report.
In aggravation of sentence, Rothman handed in a victim impact statement compiled by the victim’s mother and facilitated by Court Preparation Officer, Faith Masango.
She stated that she felt very angry and disappointed because the family trusted the accused; he was their spiritual father, leader, and father figure to children in the church who was supposed to protect children and not use their vulnerability to his advantage.
Nyuswa said that magistrate Eben Jonker found no compelling and substantial reason to deviate from the minimum sentence and imposed life imprisonment on each count.
"The court ordered the accused's name to be entered into the National Register for Sexual Offenders and was declared unfit to possess a firearm and unsuitable to work with children as part of the sentence," Nyuswa said.
The Director of Public Prosecutions in Mpumalanga, advocate Nkebe Kanyane, welcomed the conviction and the sentence imposed on the accused.
"We further applaud the good work done by the Ermelo TCC, the prosecutor, and the investigating officer. Sentences of this nature are indicative of our commitment to the fight against gender-based violence," Kanyane added.
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