Church rocked by sex claims

2008-09-07 19:50

Mandla Zulu

Johannesburg - The Roman Catholic Church in KwaZulu-Natal has been rocked by sex and abortion scandals involving two ordained priests and two young women - one of whom is a former beauty queen.

The two women say they have decided to expose their steamy relationships to force the church to allow priests to marry and stop abusing young women.

One priest has been suspended and sent for "mental therapy" while the church is awaiting a formal complaint before acting on the second priest.

Thabisile Buthelezi - the 2007 Miss KwaZulu-Natal Bikini - decided to expose her steamy relations with Father Siyabonga Dube, 35, after he dumped her.

Buthelezi urged Dube to resign from the church and marry her, saying she would support him while he was looking for a job.

But Dube refused and Buthelezi spilled the beans, effectively forcing the church to suspend him.

The spokesperson for the St Theresa Parish in Ntshanga, outside Durban, Father Thomas Zondi, said Dube was found guilty of having a sexual relationship with Buthelezi.

Abortion

"No priest is allowed to have a relationship with a woman. And also, a person who is a Catholic is not allowed to tempt a priest. Father Dube has been punished."

The second scandal involves a 48-year-old priest who is alleged to have impregnated Zamambo Mkhize, 23, and then convinced her to abort the baby.

The man cannot be named as he has not been formally charged.

Mkhize is now demanding that the man cleanse her traditionally because she has aborted a baby.

This priest is believed to be one of the people who investigated Dube.

Attempts to get comment from the two priests were unsuccessful. The two women said they were angry with the church, which has in turn accused them of seducing the priests.

- City Press