10 LIFE SENTENCES AND 70 YEARS IMPRISONMENT FOR PASTOR WHO RAPED MINORS 

25 JULY 2025 

10 LIFE SENTENCES AND 70 YEARS IMPRISONMENT FOR PASTOR WHO RAPED MINORS 

The Nquthu Regional Court has sentenced a 59-year-old man to 10 terms of life imprisonment for the rapes of 12 minor children in the Ndindindi and Luvisi areas of Nquthu. The man was also convicted of seven counts of sexual assault and seven counts of exposing/displaying of child pornography/pornography to children and was sentenced to a further 70 years imprisonment. The offences took place between the year 2020 to August 2022, and the complainants were both boys and girls, aged between six and 14 years old. 

The accused was a pastor at a church in the area, and he was also someone who fixed electrical appliances. He was a trusted member of that community, and the complainants and their parents attended his church. The accused would request the complainants to come and assist him to fix the electrical appliances, and he would then pay them for their assistance. 

Since the parents trusted the accused, they allowed the complainants to have sleepovers with him. It was during these sleepovers that he showed them pornographic material. He would then rape them, sometimes in the presence of the others. He threatened to kill them and their parents if they reported the incidents. The matter eventually came to light when one of the guardians taking care of two of the complainants (who were siblings) overheard the complainants talking about what they had seen in the pornographic movie that the accused had shown them. The guardian asked the children for more information, and they told her about what the accused was doing to them and that there were other children involved as well. The police were contacted, and they traced the other complainants. This led to the arrest of the accused. 

In court, Prosecutor Mphakamiseni Mdlalose led the evidence of 22 witnesses. These witnesses included the complainants, the medical doctors who examined them, and some of the parents or guardians of the complainants. Mdlalose further handed in Victim Impact Statements (VIS) compiled by the complainants as well as their parents/guardians, which were facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Victoria Griffiths. 

One of the complainants said that the fear of being killed by the accused made the trauma even worse, as he had to suffer in silence. The complainant said that he hopes the court will send the accused away for a very long time. Another complainant said that he was raped in the presence of one of his friends and was shocked when the friend just looked away. He said it was then he realised that his friend was also being raped. 

The common sentiment through all the VISs compiled by the parents/guardians was that they felt betrayed by the accused. They believed that since he was a pastor, he would have a positive effect on their children's lives; instead, he destroyed their children’s lives. They said that he was doing evil under the guise of doing God's work. The parents also mentioned that they were hurt by the fact that their children were so scared of the accused that they did not confide in them as to what was happening. 

The accused was convicted of 10 counts of rape and was sentenced to a term of life imprisonment for each count. He was convicted of seven counts of sexual assault and was sentenced to five years imprisonment on each of these seven counts, amounting to 35 years imprisonment. He was also convicted of seven counts of exposing/displaying of child pornography/pornography to children and was sentenced to five years on each of the seven counts, amounting to a further 35 years imprisonment. He will serve an effective sentence of life imprisonment. The court declared him unfit to possess a firearm, and the court ordered that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders. 

The Director of Public Prosecutions in KwaZulu-Natal, Advocate Elaine Harrison, welcomes the conviction and sentence in this matter. “This case demonstrates that the NPA is vigorously dealing with these cases, even in the far-reaching rural areas. Priests hold a high position within a religious space and are trusted by parents and children. Inclusive in this trust is a high standard of integrity. It is evident that the accused in this case abused his position. The conviction and sentence are therefore befitting.” 

The NPA is committed to ensuring that justice is served, particularly in cases involving crimes against the most vulnerable members of our society, our children. 

Issued by:

Natasha Ramkisson-Kara 

NPA Regional Spokesperson 

KZN Division 

071 6700 229