Pastor Accused of Using ‘Healing’ as Pretext to Sexually Exploit and Impregnate Vulnerable Women and Girls

Sethu Ngqoyiyana, a community activist, said that he receives a lot of gender-based violence cases on Facebook with people coming to him with their stories. Thereafter he refers them to the authorities.

“This young girl came to me, telling me that there is a pastor, and she alleged that the pastor raped her and that the pastor forced her to marry him. She also claimed that the pastor had assaulted her many times.

“When we went there, we wanted the church to cease all operations because there are a lot of girls staying there. We don’t know whether all these girls are victims …only three have come out and accused the pastor of raping them and assaulting them.

“There is a lot that can happen there, and we want to prevent something further from happening there… There are a lot of young girls in that church,” Ngqoyiyana said.

In an interview with Newzroom Africa, one of the victims said: “He told me that the prophecy said in order for my mother to be healed, I would have to marry him. The women at the church supported this.

“I remember calling my younger sister to tell her that I would marry him for the sake of my mom’s health. When intoxicated, he would hit me and become violent.

“I remember telling him while I was in hospital that I had miscarried. It was my second time miscarrying his child… I don’t want to lie. I believe he raped me and I was forced into a marriage with him because it was to satisfy himself.”

Another community activist, Thembisa Skaap, said that the religious leader must be charged with rape.

“His behaviour will not be tolerated in the community at all,” Skaap said.