Jail for rapist pastor who said he was in love relationships with his victims

A pastor of Jehovah Jireh Church in Fochville, Gauteng, was sentenced to two life terms for two counts of rape, 15 years for statutory rape, 10 years for stealing, and one year for assault by the Pretoria high court sitting in Palm Ridge on Tuesday.

Frank Tshabalala, 34, whose victims included a minor, was accused of raping women while out on bail for a similar offence. This caused his bail to be revoked. 

According to the National Prosecuting Authority, on the evening of June 8 2018 a complainant who was a 14-year-old minor was on her way home in Blybank, Carletonville, when she passed a group of three men. 

NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said after passing, Tshabalala, who was among the men, followed her, grabbed her hand, and took her to a football ground where he assaulted her with an open hand, threatened her with a sharp object and proceeded to rape her several times. 

Tshabalala met his second victim on January 22 2019 at Carletonville. She was a 26-year-old woman to whom he had promised a job opportunity through Facebook. 

“When the two met, he walked with her and led her to a field where he raped her and stole her belongings. Thereafter Tshabalala started using the complainant’s cellphone and contacted her relatives promising them job opportunities,” she said.

Mahanjana said Tshabalala was arrested a few days later on January 26 2019 after a relative of the complainant agreed to meet him in Carletonville in a police trap. 

After being released on R5,000 bail, Tshabalala used the same modus operandi by promising a 23-year-old woman a job, also via Facebook, and asked to meet her on January 26 2020 — exactly a year after his arrest. 

“They met at Gateway Mall in Carletonville and went on to Fochville. When they arrived at Fochville taxi rank, Tshabalala walked with her to a nearby field where he raped her.

“Tshabalala’s bail was revoked after he was arrested in June 2020 on a separate case in which he was charged with rape and theft, and later sentenced to 15 years of direct imprisonment,” Mahanjana said.

Tshabalala pleaded not guilty and said he was in love relationships with all the victims, including the 14-year-old girl. “However, prosecutor Michael Shivuri was able to prove that Tshabalala committed the offences,” she said.

Judge Anna Granova agreed with the state that Tshabalala showed no remorse and had exploited the vulnerability of the women due to their financial circumstances and ages. 

She ordered that Tshabalala’s name be added to the national register for sexual offenders.

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