Pastor arrested for raping teen girl, 17, in her home

A Free State pastor, 37, has been arrested for allegedly raping a teenage girl, 17, in her home in Zamdela on New Year’s Day and impregnating her.

The matter came to the Free State police’s attention after social workers approached the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit about a 17-year-old pregnant girl who alleged that she was raped by her pastor.

Victim five months pregnant

Following their investigation, the police informed the mother of the victim, who is currently five months pregnant, and she then filed a rape case against the pastor.

According to the teenage girl, on 1 January at about 8 am, she was at home when her pastor arrived.

Upon his arrival, the pastor had a conversation with another girl, but after their conversation, he called the victim and allegedly asked her to be his mistress.

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“She refused and ran into the house. The pastor followed her into the victim’s mother’s bedroom and raped her,” said Sergeant Josephine Rani.

“After the whole ordeal, he then told the victim not to tell anyone, or else he would not employ her mother and her uncle.”

The suspect is expected to appear before the Sasolburg Magistrate Court on Thursday.

Serial rapist pastor

Incidents of pastors preying on women are unfortunately not uncommon, as on 27 March, a pastor of Jehovah Jireh Church in Fochville, Frank Tshabalala, 34, was sentenced to two life terms for rape, 15 years of direct imprisonment for statutory rape, 10 years of theft, and one year of assault.

Tshabalala raped a 14-year-old girl on a football field in June 2018, and in January 2019, he stole her belongings and raped a 26-year-old woman seeking a job through Facebook at a veld in Carletonville.

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He was arrested, but after being released on bail, he used the same modus operandi of promising employment on Facebook, and he raped a 23-year-old in a veld near the Fochville taxi rank in January 2020.