The Healer Who Betrayed: Sangoma Jailed for 25 Years for Raping Child

There is a sacred trust placed upon traditional healers in South Africa. They are the keepers of ancient knowledge, the bridge between the physical and the spiritual, and often, the first port of call for the sick and the troubled. In the villages of Limpopo, a sangoma is not just a neighbor; they are a pillar of the community. But in July 2023, one such man from Sekopung Village used his position not to heal, but to destroy.

This week, the dusty roads of Sekopung, near the Driekop policing area, have been filled with a palpable sense of relief. The Burgersfort Regional Court handed down a sentence that echoed through the province: 25 years in prison for a 54-year-old traditional healer convicted of raping a 10-year-old girl.

It’s a sentence that Provincial Commissioner of SAPS in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, welcomed as a “clear and unambiguous message.” But for those who know the story, it’s a grim reminder of how quickly the sanctuary of a home can become a nightmare.

The Fire That Burned a Childhood

The details of the case, as recounted by police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, paint a picture of a cold and calculated betrayal. It was a Sunday night in the dead of winter, 16 July 2023. The young girl was doing something many of us did as childrenvisiting a relative. She was at the home of her aunt, who just so happened to be married to the respected local sangoma.

Trust is the currency of village life. When the sangoma called the girl to help him make a fire, it seemed like a harmless, ordinary chore. But the flames outside were never lit. Instead, the man took the child to a bedroom, away from the eyes of the village, and raped her.

What makes this story particularly harrowing, and perhaps what led to the swift justice, is the immediate instinct of the girl’s aunt. In a moment of maternal intuition, the aunt noticed the unusual silencethe absence of her husband and her niece for too long. She followed her gut.

When she opened that bedroom door, she didn’t find a spiritual consultation. She found her husband scrambling to get dressed. And she found her young niece, the defenceless child she had welcomed into her home, sitting in tears. The girl, finding her voice, disclosed the horror she had just endured.

A Community’s Trust Broken

The response was immediate. The matter was reported to the Driekop police station, and the sangoma was arrested. He was later granted bail, a decision that must have sent chills through the community. For a man who relied on the reverence of his neighbors to walk free while awaiting trial is a stark reminder of the complexities of our justice system.

However, the law worked as it should in the background. The case landed in the capable hands of Sergeant Letsatsi Mojalefa of the Burgersfort Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit. Alongside Prosecutor Ngoako Petlo, Mojalefa built a case described by police as “thorough and diligent.”

Their work culminated in a conviction in December 2025. This week, the sentence was read out, finally closing a painful chapter that began on that cold winter night.

“No Social Standing” Protects You Here

In her address following the sentencing, Lieutenant General Hadebe pointed out a crucial element of this crime: the abuse of a position of trust. “The fact that this perpetrator exploited a position of trust, abusing a child who was a guest in his own home, makes this crime even more heinous,” she said.

This case cuts deep in a province like Limpopo, where tradition and community are interwoven. It’s easy to see how a sangoma could use his status to intimidate a child into silence, or how the community might have struggled to believe the accusations at first. But the 25-year sentence is a strong statement that the robe of a traditional healer is not a cloak for criminality.

Social Reaction: A Victorious Sigh

While the SAPS statement is official, the sentiment on the ground in Limpopo is one of exhausted victory. Social media has been rife with debate, but the overwhelming reaction is relief that the court protected the child and rejected the idea that cultural status can buy impunity.

• “Healing or harming?” one local Facebook user commented. “He was supposed to protect the children, not destroy them. 25 years is where he belongs.”

• “This gives me hope,” another resident from a nearby village wrote. “So many of these cases go unreported because the perpetrator is ‘important.’ Thank you to that little girl’s aunt for being brave, and to the police for doing their job.”

The 25-year sentence under Section 3 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act is a powerful deterrent. It serves as a warning that regardless of one’s “social standing,” as Hadebe put it, the long arm of the law will reach into the deepest villages to protect the most vulnerable.

For the little girl from Sekopung Village, the healing can finally begin, not from a sangoma, but from the knowledge that justice has been served.

{Source: IOL}

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