Pastor held for raping girl, 12

2005-01-31 21:02

KwaMhlanga - A Zion Christian Church leader has been charged with rape for apparently taking a 12-year-old church member as his second wife when he could no longer have sex with his pregnant wife.

Captain Mamsy Cibe said on Monday the 43-year-old pastor from KwaMhlanga north of Witbank was arrested at his church on Sunday afternoon.

The girl had been helping the pastor at a spaza shop since December 11 last year and, during that time, they allegedly started to have sex.

Cibe said: "According to the girl's statement, she'd been sleeping with him since last month and he offered to make her his second wife."

Pastor wants to pay lobola

"She'd get R10 each time they had sex."

The pastor apparently said he'd been preparing to pay lobola for her.

The mother reported the matter to police only on Sunday after other church members alerted her to the suspiciously close relationship between the child and the pastor.

The pastor was due to appear in KwaMhlanga magistrate's court on Tuesday.

The girl had been taken to KwaMhlanga hospital for counselling and to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases.

- African Eye