Self-proclaimed prophet gets two life terms for rape

The Soshanguve Magistrate’s Court has sentenced self-proclaimed prophet Erick Zwane to two life terms for raping two minor girls. 

According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the two girls were 14 and 15 years old at the time of the incident. 

The 28-year-old self-proclaimed prophet was initially charged with three counts of rape, however, he was acquitted on one count of rape of an 18-year-old woman. All the victims are from the same neighbourhood as Zwane in Soshanguve, Pretoria.   

The two minor girls, who were friends, consulted with the prophet on different occasions in 2018.  

“They were given a drink that made them feel dizzy, then he proceeded to ask them to undress so they can steam.  While steaming, he raped them and threatened to kill them with muti should they tell anyone about the incident,” said NPA’s Lumka Mahanjana in a statement on Monday.  

In February 2019, one of the girls’ mother went to consult another prophet, who told her that her child had been raped by Zwane.  

“The mother confronted the child, who admitted and also informed her about her friend as well. The parents of the victims went to Zwane’s home in an attempt to confront him. He saw community members in his yard from a distance and fled for 6 months but later returned and handed himself over to the police on 25 September 2019.  He was arrested and kept in custody.” 

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The prophet pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against him, but the state proved its case beyond reasonable doubt that indeed Zwane committed the crimes he was accused of.   

In his argument, prosecutor Sifiso Hlongwane argued that “there can be no greater crime than to deprive a child of her innocence, especially a vulnerable child”.   

“He further reminded the court that based on one of the Victim impact statements at the time of the incident, one of the victims was a virgin and Zwane took that pride away from her,” said the NPA. 

“Moreover, he asked the court not to ignore the fact that the country has a high level of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) against children and women, therefore the court should impose life imprisonment.   

“The NPA is dedicated to fighting the scourge Gender-Based Violence (GBV) against children and women in our communities and we appreciate the work of the investigating team of the South African Police Service (SAPS) that investigated this matter.”