EDITORIAL | Be faithful to victims, not perpetrators

This week the high court in Pretoria heard testimony against Bishop Bafana Stephen Zondo. He is accused of raping seven women, many of them members of his church, Rivers of Living Waters Ministries. One of the most appalling moments was when a member of his congregation testified how he told her “the spirit of rape was upon her”. A man she trusted, a supposed man of God, a man in a position of authority, told her this “spirit” was the reason he forced himself onto her. Not only is this an attempt at intimidating her, but also a preposterous way to excuse his alleged behaviour. 

“He said when he’s at home with his wife, he doesn’t get an erection, but when he’s outside with other people, he gets it,” the woman, whose identity is being protected, said. “His other painful explanation is that the spirit of rape, that is upon me, is what caused him to do what he did to me, and that spirit forced him to lose control over himself.”

What makes it even worse is this woman joined the church at the impressionable age of 16, seeking emotional healing after she was raped. Zondo allegedly forced her to perform oral sex on him while she had her eyes closed during a prayer session. Court had to adjourn after her testimony because she was so traumatised about having to relive the experience.

As she testified, the gallery was full of Zondo's church members in a show of support — not for the woman but for the bishop. Most were men, dressed in black suits and red ties, alongside a handful of elderly women.

One of the difficulties with a scenario such as this is that the church community often remains supportive of the accused. The bishop remains innocent until proven guilty, but such serious charges should make those around him, at the very least, reconsider their unquestioning loyalty. Their undying devotion is criminal in its own way. Group support for wrongdoing feeds deplorable behaviour. 

The Zondo trial happened at the same time a cult leader in Kenya, Paul MacKenzie, appeared in court in connection with the deaths of at least 133 of his followers and their children. The self-styled pastor is accused of ordering members of his Good News International Church to starve themselves and their families so they could go to heaven before the end of the world, which, according to his prophecy, was going to be on April 15. Investigators are still scouring the Shakahola forest in southeastern Kenya for more bodies. The country’s interior minister, Kithure Kindiki, did not mince his words when he described those killed as victims of a “highly organised crime”.

What happened in this cult will probably remain one of the mysteries of our time. Starvation is the main cause of death, but some victims also appeared to have been strangled, beaten or suffocated. So while there undoubtedly were those who faithfully followed MacKenzie without querying his conspiracy theories and bizarre views about modern society, others were perhaps punished for daring to question him.

It is a tragic day when supposed men of cloth abuse their positions to destroy lives, including the most vulnerable among us. It is incumbent upon us to create public awareness around the social impact of religious movements and individual pastors. We need public scrutiny to call out any untoward behaviour and hopefully prevent harm. The public and private sectors can get involved in exposing potentially damaging behaviour. At the same time, the creation of support structures for victims — not perpetrators — should be a priority.