A 42-year-old South African pastor, Thabiso Victor Mongatane, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for having carnal knowledge of a 25-year-old woman under the pretence of providing spiritual healing and deliverance.
The Mahwelereng Regional Court found him guilty of the 2022 assault that occurred in Masodi village.
According to police spokesman, Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, Mongatane manipulated the woman by claiming she had a spiritual condition needing his intervention.
The ordeal began in March 2022 when the woman brought her sick mother to him for supposed spiritual treatment, having been referred by a relative.
Months later, on September 4, Mongatane told the woman she needed additional cleansing to remove “obstacles” from her life and asked her to return.
When she came back on September 7, he instructed her to undress for a steaming ritual during which process he forced himself on the unsuspecting woman who closed her eyes.
Disappointed by the breach of trust, she reported the crime, and the Mokopane Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit took over the investigation.
Mongatane was arrested in March 2024 and initially granted bail before being convicted.
Provincial Police Commissioner Lt. Gen. Thembi Hadebe hailed the conviction as a win for justice and a warning to those who misuse positions of trust.