A 41-year-old pastor from Jesus Is the Answer Ministries in Mamelodi East, Pretoria, was sentenced to life in prison by the Pretoria magistrate’s court for raping a 12-year-old girl and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the first incident happened in November 2021 when the 13-year-old went to church for choir practice.
When she arrived early, she found the pastor there.
“The pastor began to question the 13-year-old about serving in church and promised to provide for her with anything she wanted. Thereafter, he began to touch her chest, breast and buttocks.”
The girl pulled back, walked out of the building and joined other church members who has also come for the choir practice.
Mahanjana said the second incident happened on April 9 2022, when the 12-year-old was alone at her home in Mamelodi. The pastor arrived, asked her about her parents’ whereabouts and requested to enter the house.
“After learning that the parents of the victim were not home, he entered the house, complimented the victim and promised to marry her, while touching her breast and buttocks,” Mahanjana said.
He then pushed the victim on to the sofa, undressed her and himself and raped her.
The pastor was arrested at his home on August 30 2022 after both victims reported the assaults to their parents.
The pastor has been in custody since the NPA successfully opposed his release on bail.
In court, the pastor pleaded not guilty, claiming that the stepfather of the 12-year-old girl was falsely accusing him because he wanted to take his position as pastor in the church.
However, prosecutor Andries Ntjana presented evidence from a doctor who examined the 12-year-old girl and the testimony of both victims and proved the man’s guilt.
“During sentencing, through his legal representative, the pastor requested the court to deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentence (of life imprisonment), arguing that he was a first-time offender who played a positive role in the community, had three children to take care of, and had been in custody since August 2022.”
However Ntjana asked the court to impose life imprisonment, arguing that rape was a serious offence that took away a child’s childhood.
In sentencing the accused, magistrate Lynn Pillay agreed with the state that the pastor had showed no remorse.
TimesLIVE
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