Times Of Swaziland: PASTOR ARRESTED FOR RAPE OF CONGREGANT

PASTOR ARRESTED FOR RAPE OF CONGREGANT
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BY NHLANGANISO MKHONTA on 09/12/2021 08:47:00


MBABANE – A 30-year-old pastor was arrested for allegedly raping a congregant
to whom he once allegedly sent explicit content.
Nkosinathi Makhabane, who is a pastor and a youth group leader at African
Continent Mission Church, yesterday appeared at the Mbabane Magistrates Court
for allegedly raping *Sonto (23), who is a church member though from a different
branch. Makhabane is a pastor at the church’s Manzini branch.
Yesterday, the rape trial began where Sonto was testifying. The matter was heard
by Mbabane Senior Magistrate Sifiso Vilakati.
The alleged rape took place on June 12, 2021 at or near Sidwashini in the Hhohho
Region. Sonto told the court how she knew Makhabane. “He is the pastor at our
church and a leader of the youth group. The name of our church is the African
Continent Mission Church. I have known him for over four years. He is from the
Manzini branch while I am in the Mbabane branch,” said Sonto.
Relationship
She told the court that she was not in a relationship with Makhabane because he
was her pastor. She narrated that sometime in June 2021, while she was at work,
she received a call from Makhabane, who enquired on her whereabouts and she told
him she was at work. She said Makhabane asked her why she did not attend some
church meeting they were having and she told him that she was at work.
She said the pastor asked to see her at Nkwalini bus station as he was waiting
for her so they could go to  Manzini together. She said she continued to work
but later on texted him informing him that he should not wait for her. Sonto
said after work, she then called Makhabane to confirm if he got the message but
he responded to the negative. She said Makhabane told her that he did not pay
attention to the message. Sonto told the court that since it was after work, she
went home and Makhabane called her again, insisting that he was waiting for her
at the bus station. She said she informed her grandmother and cousin that she
was going to the bus station.
“When I got to the bus station, I went to his car and greeted him. He was
alone in the car,” said Sonto. She told the court that Makhabane asked her to
get inside the car and she did so. She said he then suggested that he should
move the car to another place and when was she asked him where they were going,
Makhabane said they were going to some place where he usually parked. She said
Makhabane drove towards Sidwashini cemetery and he then drove to a soccer field
where he parked the car,” she said.
Sonto said she asked Makhabane about the church meeting he went to and he said
the meeting was a church business yet at this time he was now on another
mission. The Crown asked Sonto what came into her mind when Makhabane told her
he was now on another mission. In her response, Sonto said she was shocked but
then remembered that Makhabane once proposed love to her. Sonto said while they
were sitting in Makhabane’s car, she told him that she would not sleep with
him. She said Makhabane told her that she should forget about that. Sonto told
the court that just after saying that, Makhabane allegedly pulled her by her
jacket and lowered the seat she occupied.  Sonto alleged that Makhabane then
forced himself on her without protection.
Apologising
She alleged that after the incident, Makhabane drove her back home and she took
a bath and slept. She told the court that the next day which was a Sunday,
Makhabane allegedly sent her a message apologising about what happened the night
before, asking her to find it in her heart to forgive him. After delivering her
testimony, Magistrate Vilakati told Sonto that it was procedural that the
defence of the accused cross examine her. Vilakati said it was unfortunate that
such could not happen as the defence had applied for the Crown to provide the
police statements which were recorded with regard to the matter. Vilakati said
the Crown would provide the defence with the statement as it was also procedure
that the Crown be provided with all the paperwork or anything they needed to
prepare for their defence. The matter returns to court on January 5, 2022 where
the defence will cross examine Sonto.