Life sentence for KZN pastor who abused children applauded

THE Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) has welcomed the sentencing of a KwaZulu-Natal pastor for the rape and sexual assault of 12 children.

- KAREN SINGH

CGE spokesperson Javu Baloyi said the serial rapist targeted 10 boys and two girls between the ages of seven and 14.

The Nquthu Regional Magistrate’s Court recently sentenced Mandlelisa Mabhale,58, to 10 terms of life in prison.

The sentence was for nine counts of rape, one count of attempted rape, seven five-year terms for sexual assault, and seven five-year terms for exposing a child to pornography.

Mabhale had lured children to his rented property under the pretence of offering spiritual guidance or requiring help with tasks, which is where the abuse occurred.

Alarm bells were sounded in September 2022, when a child minder of four children overheard people talking about a pastor who had a reputation of violating young children. The conversation caught the minder’s interest because the children she was looking after frequented the place of the pastor and would spend a considerable amount of time in his company.

The children would also assist Mabhale when he was doing his odd jobs of fixing electrical appliances.

According to the police, as soon as the child minder arrived home, she had asked the four children if Mabhale had done anything to them, but they did not open up to her. The children later confessed to their mother that the pastor had been raping them and the matter was immediately reported to the police.