Pastor sentenced to life in prison for raping stepdaughter

A pastor, who had raped his stepdaughter for years even though his wife and family knew and had held an intervention with the hope he would stop, was finally arrested after being found naked in his victim’s bedroom.

The child had informed her mother that her stepfather had been raping her. However, the woman never called the police on her husband and rather suggested a family meeting to be held to “ sort" this out with her husband’s family. 

However, the pastor continued to rape the child despite the family meeting but it was only when the woman caught her husband naked in her child’s bedroom that she called the police and he was arrested.

According to Mojalefa Senokoatsane, spokesperson for the Northern Cape National Prosecuting Authority, the 44-year-old pastor started raping the child in 2017 when she was 14 years old.

Senokoatsane said the child endured the abuse silently for a year until she decided to tell the mother in 2018.

“What made the victim suffer in silence for a year was that she was afraid to speak up because the accused had also abused her mother and herself physically. Unfortunately, when she finally informed her mother, she did not believe her that the accused had raped her.”

When the pastor raped her again, the child told her mother.

“The mother suggested a family meeting to be held to “sort" this out with the pastor’s family.

“The family meeting was held but the pastor still proceeded to sexually abuse the victim unabated. 

“In 2020, the accused attempted to rape the victim again, but her mother walked into the room and the pastor acted as if he was checking up on the victim and her siblings in the room. 

Noticing that her husband was naked, the woman asked her why he had no clothes on in the children’s bedroom.

“It was only at this stage that the mother believed the story the victim told her in 2018 and they immediately went to the police station to open a case of rape against the pastor. 

“He was was arrested and charged with one count of rape as well as one count of attempted rape. In court, the accused pleaded not guilty and maintained his innocence when the charges were presented to him at the commencement of his trial," said Senokotsoane.

During the trial, prosecutor Adv Shareen Theresa Links argued that the pastor was not remorseful even when presented with overwhelming evidence. 

Links also said the pastor had breached the trust and innocence of a minor who viewed him as her father.

The court also heard that the child’s schoolwork had suffered due to the abuse she had endured at the hands of her stepfather and her mother not believing her. As a result, felt betrayed by those who were supposed to be her protectors. 

The judge found that the pastor had shown no remorse and had broken the trust of a child who looked up to him as a father and pastor. 

The pastor was then handed life imprisonment on a count of rape and 10 years imprisonment for attempted rape.