The police in Carletonville arrested a traditional prayer healer for the rape of a girl this week.
According to WO Peter Masooa, the police arrested the 57-year-old man for the girl’s rape. The man allegedly raped the girl after he promised to pray for her to remove an evil spirit.
“The suspect arrived at the complainant’s house to pray for her sick grandmother and left. He later returned and informed the grandmother that he saw an evil spirit in her grandchild, and that the child must come with him for prayer. The grandmother then agreed and the child left with the suspect,” says Masooa..
The suspect stopped the vehicle they were travelling in next to the Holmes informal housing area just outside Carletonville and informed the complainant that she must have sex with him to remove the evil spirit.
The complainant was later left next to her house in Khutsong. She then reported to the grandmother.
“It is becoming a trend to use the evil spirit as the reason to lure the victims into sex by the people pretending to be pastors. We urge the women to know that this is a modus operandi for some criminals, and that it has happened to many women,” says Masooa..
The suspect will appear before the Oberholzer Magistrate Court today.
