Khayelitsha Magistrate Court. Photographer: Armand Hough.
THE investigating office in the case of a Khayelitsha pastor charged with rape, attempted rape, attempted murder and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm has testified how the pastor allegedly abused his power to assault multiple young girls who came to him for healing and help.
The 51-year-old pastor made another bail application appearance at the Khayelitsha Magistrates Court on Friday with more charges added to his docket.
He now faces charges including four counts of rape, a count of an attempted rape/ sexual assault, a count of attempted murder and a count of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
The defense called its first and only witness, but he could not testify as he speaks isiZulu and the only isiZulu speaking interpreter at the court was related to one of the victims. His testimony was postponed to another day when a different interpreter is available, the NPA said.
The State called the Investigating Officer who has 16 years’ experience to testify on the merits of each victim’s case.
In 2021, the first victim’s mother collected her from Lenteguer Hospital where she was admitted for depression and took her to the accused’s church in Endlovini. The mother had heard about the church, and she asked the accused and his wife if the victim could stay there. The accused’s wife was pregnant at the time. After the wife was admitted to hospital, the girl was allegedly told that for her to be healed, she must sleep with the accused. She refused and threatened to tell others. By December 2021, he told her that she had stayed at the church mission for a long time but would not do what was done by other girls. He then allegedly raped her.
In December 2023, the accused allegedly took her to the Eastern Cape where two women came to the girl with full makoti attire and told her they were there to dress her as a makoti. She asked him what was going on and he said he had nothing to say to her and he had paid lobola to her mother. The girl also reported he would beat her up if she refused to have sex with him. At times she would run away, and she would be beaten when she returned.
He also allegedly told the girl that nobody would touch him because he was God.
In one incident in November last year, he allegedly attacked her with a hammer and a knife and she managed to escape to a neighbour’s house.
Another victim was in matric in 2020 when she reported hearing voices and see some dark/ black visions.
Her mother heard about this church of the accused and in January 2021, she visited the church with her mother for consultation. During the consultation, the accused told her that she had an ancestral gift and for her to be healed, she must stay at the church.
Later after serving him food, the accused allegedly told her that an angel came down and told him that the girl needed to sleep with him to be healed. She refused but was told it was unacceptable to defy the leader, and she would burn if she defied him. On another occasion, the accused followed the girl into a room, closed the door behind him and raped her.
She later fell pregnant with his child. A third victim is also alleged to have had the accused’s baby.
The accused’s bail application was postponed until Thursday for further bail application. The State is opposing the bail application.
Cape Times
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