Africa-Press – South-Africa. The 38-year-old Mamelodi pastor accused of repeatedly raping a 13-year-old girl and sexually assaulting another has abandoned his bid for bail.
The pastor appeared in the Mamelodi Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, where he was expected to apply for bail.
He cannot be named until he has pleaded to the charges, as stipulated by the Criminal Procedure Act.
While the accused had initially opted to apply for bail, the court heard that he had made a U-turn and abandoned his application. He will remain in custody as a result.
He is currently facing one charge of rape and one count of sexual assault.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority, in August, the 13-year-old victim disclosed to her mother that the pastor had been raping her since November 2021.
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She said that she had been raped multiple times and that in some of the instances, she was not conscious but woke up bleeding.
She also alleged that the accused had accosted two other girls.
A second victim accused the pastor of touching her inappropriately in April this year.
Activist organisation #NotInMyNameSA has been protesting outside the court at each appearance of the pastor, demanding justice and speaking out against the alleged incidents.
Secretary-general of #NotInMyNameSA, Themba Masango, said they had also visited the church and encouraged other congregants to speak out.
He said:
“The church is meant to be a safe space for its members and source of spiritual revival for the community, and yet this pastor has bastardised the church by using it as a ground for hunting for victims of his lustful crimes.”
Masango added that his organisation was concerned that the victim had taken almost a year to speak out.
“It is our firm belief that the church could have and should be doing more in acting as a safe space for victims of gender-based violence and abuse can come and speak out.
“The church should foster an atmosphere of care and security, particularly for women and children, who are the majority of the people who attend service every Sunday.”
The matter was postponed to 3 November for further investigation.
It is understood that these investigations will include statements from further alleged victims.
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