A pastor has been arrested for allegedly raping 13 children between the ages of five and 17 in Luvisi village in the Nquthu municipality, in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
KZN social development MEC Nonhlanhla Khoza said on Thursday the pastor allegedly lured young girls and boys to watch cartoons and later pornographic videos.
It is alleged he started molesting children in 2021, with the last incident on September 18.
The 56-year-old was allegedly caught when a boy told his mother of the alleged abuse, detailing other victims — 11 boys and two girls.
The victim’s mother verified the information with other victims before reporting it to the local police.
Khoza condemned the alleged rape and abuse by the pastor, a leader trusted by the villagers.
“We call on parents and communities to be extra-vigilant and pay more attention to their children. These children constantly visited the reverend after school because they were manipulated,” she said.
She lauded a parent who noticed something amiss with her son,, which led to more abused children being found.
“We are calling on communities to support victims and their parents to build solid cases and bring the perpetrators to book. Child abuse and rape have no place in our society.
“We call on all men, women and children to stand up and make their voices heard. We cannot keep silent while our children suffer at the hands of people who are supposed to protect them. We need to work together to end these acts against children,” she said.
A team of social workers were sent to the village to provide support to the victims and families.
“People like this one must be jailed for a long time and law-enforcement agencies need to close all loopholes in the cases. The man must not get bail as he is a danger to society.”
The pastor is due to appear in court soon.
TimesLIVE
KZN pastor arrested for alleged rape of 13 children
Image: 123RF/albund
A pastor has been arrested for allegedly raping 13 children between the ages of five and 17 in Luvisi village in the Nquthu municipality, in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
KZN social development MEC Nonhlanhla Khoza said on Thursday the pastor allegedly lured young girls and boys to watch cartoons and later pornographic videos.
It is alleged he started molesting children in 2021, with the last incident on September 18.
The 56-year-old was allegedly caught when a boy told his mother of the alleged abuse, detailing other victims — 11 boys and two girls.
The victim’s mother verified the information with other victims before reporting it to the local police.
Khoza condemned the alleged rape and abuse by the pastor, a leader trusted by the villagers.
“We call on parents and communities to be extra-vigilant and pay more attention to their children. These children constantly visited the reverend after school because they were manipulated,” she said.
She lauded a parent who noticed something amiss with her son,, which led to more abused children being found.
“We are calling on communities to support victims and their parents to build solid cases and bring the perpetrators to book. Child abuse and rape have no place in our society.
“We call on all men, women and children to stand up and make their voices heard. We cannot keep silent while our children suffer at the hands of people who are supposed to protect them. We need to work together to end these acts against children,” she said.
A team of social workers were sent to the village to provide support to the victims and families.
“People like this one must be jailed for a long time and law-enforcement agencies need to close all loopholes in the cases. The man must not get bail as he is a danger to society.”
The pastor is due to appear in court soon.
TimesLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Related articles
Latest Videos