By: Kaya 959 News
A Limpopo pastor who preyed on two young girls and raped them will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
The 50-year-old was this week handed down five life terms at the Seshego Regional Court for the five charges of rape levelled against him.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority, the rapes took place in 2016 and 2017 and the girls were 11 and 13 at the time.
Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, Limpopo provincial spokesperson for the NPA, said the girls were congregants at the pastor’s church and he would give them food parcels because they came from poor families.
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“He used to visit their families and he would then convince the parents to allow him to take the girls to the shops to buy them clothes, and that is where he got a chance to rape them,” she said.
She said in aggravation of sentence, Advocate Andisa Mudau called the mothers of the victims.
“Both testified that after the rape ordeal their children are struggling to cope at school and they are repeating their grades. The victims are afraid of men and they have nightmares about the accused,” Malabi-Dzhangi said.
The victim impact report, compiled by a social worker, was also handed to the court. The report confirmed the evidence submitted by the girls’ mothers.
Meanwhile, a 35-year-old man has been arrested after the body of a six-year-old girl was found in his home.
The girl from Phokoane village was reported missing at the weekend.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said they were alerted to the missing person’s case and began searching for Bokamoso Tjabadi.
On Monday, officers continued the search and could not find the child. Police then decided to search houses in the area.
“One of the neighbours allegedly refused to grant anyone access to his house however officers managed to get inside. The child was then found dead in the house with no visible injuries. The suspect was immediately arrested,” he said.
A post mortem will be conducted to determine how the child was killed. The accused is due to appear in the Nebo Magistrate’s Court soon.
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Image courtesy of Pexels/ @Kindel Media