A Shepherd Who Preyed: Mamelodi Pastor’s Betrayal Ends in Life Sentence

In our communities, we place our deepest trust in certain figures. The pastor is one of them. He’s meant to be a shepherd, a guide, a protector. So, what happens when the shepherd becomes the wolf?

This isn’t a hypothetical question for the congregation of Jesus is the Answer Ministries in Mamelodi. For them, it’s a painful, lived reality that has shattered faith and traumatized the most vulnerable.

The Sanctity of the Sanctuary, Broken

The case that unfolded in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court is one that chills the soul. A 41-year-old pastor, a man whose very job was to embody faith and safety, was convicted of horrific crimes against the children in his care. He wasn’t just a criminal; he was a predator hiding in plain sight, using his collar as a cloak.

The details are harrowing. In 2021, a 13-year-old girl arrived early for choir practice, a place of music and fellowship. The pastor found her alone. He lured her into the church building with promises of provision, then violated her, touching her inappropriately. The bravery it took for that young girl to pull away and walk out, to face her peers after such a violation, is immense.

But the worst was yet to come.

Months later, in April 2022, he went to the home of a 12-year-old congregant. Learning her parents were away, he invited himself in. He then did the unthinkable: he complimented the child, promised to marry her, and then, after his grotesque advances, he raped her on her own family sofa.

The cruelty of that promiseto marry a 12-year-oldis a stark reminder of the manipulative grooming tactics predators use to confuse and control their victims.

The Whisper That Became a Roar

For months, these girls carried this crushing secret. The weight of abuse is heavy enough for any survivor, but when your abuser is a powerful, respected community leader, the fear of not being believed can be paralyzing.

But silence doesn’t last forever. In August 2022, the two girls found their courage. They approached the 12-year-old’s stepfather after a church service. We can only imagine the tremor in their voices as they asked him what to do after being abused by the very man who had just delivered the sermon.

That conversation was the crack that broke the dam. The stepfather listened. He asked questions at home. The truth tumbled out, and he acted immediately, filing a police report. The mother, upon learning the truth, also sprang into action. This is where the story turnsfrom one of predation to one of justice.

The Family Sexual Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit moved swiftly, arresting the pastor at his home. He was denied bail, a small but crucial victory for the victims.

A Hollow Defense and a Firm Hand of Justice

In court, the pastor’s defense was as predictable as it was insulting. He claimed the stepfather was framing him to steal his position. It’s a tired, power-hungry narrative that completely ignores the voices of the real victims.

But the state, led by prosecutor Andries Ntjana, was unyielding. He presented the compelling, heartbreaking testimonies of the two girls, backed by medical evidence from the Mamelodi Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC). The TCCs are South Africa’s unsung heroes in this fight, providing a lifeline of medical care, psychological support, and legal assistance for survivors.

The pastor, finally cornered, pleaded for mercy. He was a first-time offender, he had children, he’d been in custody. But Magistrate Lynn Pillay saw through the excuses. She saw a man who showed no remorse, who violated a sacred trust in the most violent way.

She agreed with the state: rape is a violent act that steals a childhood. The court’s duty is to protect the community by removing such perpetrators from it.

The sentence was life imprisonment for the rape, plus five years for sexual assault, to run concurrently. His name is now etched in the National Register for Sex Offenders, and he has been declared unfit to ever work with children or possess a firearm.

The gavel has fallen, but the healing is just beginning. A prison sentence locks a man away, but it doesn’t instantly erase the trauma inflicted on two young girls or the disillusionment felt by an entire community.

This case is a stark, painful lesson in vigilance. It reminds us that the signs of abuse are not always loud; sometimes they are quiet, hidden in a child’s sudden withdrawal or a whispered question after church. It underscores the critical role of parents, step-parents, and community members to listentruly listenand to act without hesitation.

The stepfather and mother in this case are heroes. They believed, they acted, and they set a wheels of justice in motion.

The shepherd who preyed is gone. Now, the real work of rebuilding trust and healing wounds begins. And it starts by always, always believing the children.

{Source: The Citizen}

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