Canaan Mdletshe
Canaan Mdletshe
The KwaMsane magistrate's court in Mtubatuba in northern Zululand yesterday postponed the rape case against a Zion Church pastor to next Monday.
The 37-year-old pastor is accused of raping two 11-year-old girls between 2004 and 2005. One of the girls, who is mentally deficient, became pregnant.
Both victims are related to the pastor and are members of his church.
It is alleged that the pastor raped one of the girls during a church service. She reported the incident to her grandmother, who reportedly did nothing because the pastor is a relative of hers.
It later emerged the girl was pregnant and the pastor allegedly confessed to having raped her. He paid a cow as compensation.
The pregnancy was aborted because of her mental condition.
The second allegation surfaced two weeks ago after a girl opened up to members of the Mpilonhle Community Organisation who had visited her school.
The pastor was arrested and will appear in court again next Monday for a formal bail application.
Local community leaders and some family members are angered by the incident. They have asked the court not to grant bail to the suspect.
Meanwhile, a case against a Durban resident, Raveendran Pillay 32, accused of beating his six-year-old daughter to death with a belt, was postponed in the Durban regional court yesterday.
The incident happened on March 15 2006. Pillay allegedly beat his daughter Nikita because she had returned home from school with dirty clothes.
The girl died in hospital some hours later.
Pillay was initially charged with murder but the charge was amended to culpable homicide.
He is out on bail and will return to court at the end of the month to enter his plea.
Pastor now faces two rape cases
Canaan Mdletshe
Canaan Mdletshe
The KwaMsane magistrate's court in Mtubatuba in northern Zululand yesterday postponed the rape case against a Zion Church pastor to next Monday.
The 37-year-old pastor is accused of raping two 11-year-old girls between 2004 and 2005. One of the girls, who is mentally deficient, became pregnant.
Both victims are related to the pastor and are members of his church.
It is alleged that the pastor raped one of the girls during a church service. She reported the incident to her grandmother, who reportedly did nothing because the pastor is a relative of hers.
It later emerged the girl was pregnant and the pastor allegedly confessed to having raped her. He paid a cow as compensation.
The pregnancy was aborted because of her mental condition.
The second allegation surfaced two weeks ago after a girl opened up to members of the Mpilonhle Community Organisation who had visited her school.
The pastor was arrested and will appear in court again next Monday for a formal bail application.
Local community leaders and some family members are angered by the incident. They have asked the court not to grant bail to the suspect.
Meanwhile, a case against a Durban resident, Raveendran Pillay 32, accused of beating his six-year-old daughter to death with a belt, was postponed in the Durban regional court yesterday.
The incident happened on March 15 2006. Pillay allegedly beat his daughter Nikita because she had returned home from school with dirty clothes.
The girl died in hospital some hours later.
Pillay was initially charged with murder but the charge was amended to culpable homicide.
He is out on bail and will return to court at the end of the month to enter his plea.