40 years old pastor gets 20 years in prison for raping fellow congregant

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Ulundi Regional Court has sentenced Pastor Sibusiso Gerald Nyathikazi to 20 years imprisonment for two counts of raping a vulnerable 19 years old congregant.

The 40 years old Nyathikazi got his sentencing on Monday, April 19 having made several court appearances according to a statement by KwaZulu Natal provincial police spokesperson Capt Nqobile Gwala.

Gwala said that the incident is said to have occurred in 2018 where the the pastor lured the victim into his home and raped her. 

“He instructed the victim not to tell a soul about the whole ordeal since it was going to destroy his reputation as a pastor. The victim who was traumatized told no one and continued going to church like nothing happened.”

“The pastor who was trusted to pray for the victim, as she was not feeling well, raped the victim again while they were attending another church service at Washbank in 2018.”

Ultimately the victim ended up reporting the matter to her family which was shocked about the incident and supported her in reporting the case to the police.

“A case of rape was opened at Ulundi SAPS and the docket was transferred to the Ulundi Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit for further investigation. The accused was arrested and made several court appearances until he was convicted and sentenced” concluded Gwala.