Heavy sentence for priest who raped teens in Mondlo

A 34-year-old man was sentenced at the Nquthu Regional Court to five terms of life and 30 years imprisonment for the multiple rapes he committed in the Mondlo area, KwaZulu-Natal, between October 2020 and August 2022.

The accused was a priest and traditional healer in the area and he met all three of the complainants, aged, 15, 17 and 18, at a church service, on separate occasions.

Regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the priest informed them and their parents that they were bewitched and needed “cleansing”. He told them that only he would be able to cleanse them.

“When the complainants were taken to his home, he told the parents to leave them there. The accused then employed the same modus operandi with all three complainants in that he would tell them that they needed to have sexual intercourse with him to be healed. Before raping them, he made them smoke snuff, then rubbed them with a ‘muthi’ all over their bodies. He told them that they would not be healed if they told anyone what he had done. He raped two of the complainants more than once,” said Ms Ramkisson-Kara.

The accused’s actions eventually came to light when one of the complainants reported the matter to the police. This resulted in the other two complainants coming forward. In court the state led the testimonies of all the complainants as well as their first reports.

In addition, the state handed in Victim Impact Statement compiled by the complainants and facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Victoria Griffiths.

In her statement the one complainant said the incident caused her much trauma because she had been raped several times by the accused. She also said that she had trusted him as he was a member of their church. Another complainant said that the incident traumatised her to the extent that she had to leave school. She said that she could not concentrate at school.

“The accused was sentenced to five terms of life and 30 years imprisonment. The court ordered that his name be added into the National Register for Sex Offenders. The matter was successfully prosecuted by Advovate Sandisiwe Ntuli and Bongisipho Mthembu,” said Ms Ramkisson-Kara.

“The NPA applauds this successful prosecution, and we commend the work done by the prosecution and police. It is incumbent on us to fight for justice on behalf of the victims of crime.”