Criminality Behind The Pulpit: Pastors Convicted Of Rape And Femicide
JOHANNESBURG — In South Africa, a child or woman is raped or killed every 23 seconds. It is a daily reality documented by the South African Law Reform Commission.
The perpetrator could be anyone. A pastor delivering a Sunday sermon. A politician promising change. A judge sworn to uphold justice. A lawyer defending the vulnerable. A police officer meant to protect. A father, an uncle or a brother. A friend. A colleague. A celebrity admired by millions.
This crisis cuts across race, class, language and age. Black, white and Indian women live with the same fear. Newborn babies, toddlers, schoolchildren, teenagers, university students, mothers and grandmothers — even women in their late eighties — have become victims. No woman or child in South Africa can confidently say, “I am safe here.”
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Some church leaders have mirrored the wider culture of abuse, leaving congregants spiritually and physically endangered.
Women and children are being violated during counseling and prayer sessions with pastors. For many South African women and children, there is no safe place left to run. Several pastors have been convicted — some sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape or murder of women and child congregants and community members.
Others have not been prosecuted for now. Many of those convicted now appear on the National Register for Sex Offenders, rendering them unfit to work with children or possess a firearm. Disturbingly, most of their victims were minors.
Fikile Sondela-Farrow, 41, is among many women carrying the lifelong wounds of abuse, allegedly inflicted by her own father.
Speaking to Religion Unplugged, Sondela-Farrow said: “My father is a pastor, and he started sexually molesting me at the age of eight in my bedroom. It happened every school holiday I visited my father and stepmother. He waited for everyone to fall asleep, pretended to watch TV, then slipped into my room — sometimes even during the day.”
She recalled a silky nightdress her stepmother gave her. “For years, I couldn’t wear nightdresses. I associated them with what happened to me. Only recently have I been able to wear one again.”
When she told her father she would report him, “He said no one would believe me. The abuse continued from the age of eight until I was 15. When I finally told someone outside the family, he was confronted — and he stopped.”
In her twenties, she confronted him again. “He said he had been molested as a child. That made me angrier. He should have protected me.”
The consequences have been lifelong.
“I was robbed of my life,” she said. “In 2023, I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and depression. I’ve been on medication since. My childhood was taken from me — and so was the person I might have become.”
Despite her disclosures, Sondela-Farrow’s father was not convicted.
Recently, Nigerian-South African televangelist Timothy Omotoso of Jesus Dominion International was acquitted of 32 charges after an eight-year trial. The judge cited serious prosecutorial errors. The National Prosecuting Authority has since applied for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal.
One of Omotoso’s victims, Sarah Mofokeng, said, “You violated our bodies. You may think you’ve gotten away with it. This is not our story of hurt but of survival. We know what happened — and so do you. Be reminded each day how weak you are, how you preyed on young girls, and how you used God as your friend.”
Based on these endless incidents, on Nov. 21, thousands of women from every race, dressed in black, marched against these injustices. Their message was clear: “Enough is enough.”
In the days leading up to the national march, one demand echoed across the country — that President Cyril Ramaphosa declare gender-based violence and femicide a national disaster.
This past Nov. 20, speaking at the opening of the G20 Social Summit, Ramaphosa declared gender-based violence and femicide a national disaster.
“No society can thrive for as long as gender-based violence and femicide continue, and the agency of women is denied,” he said. “The violence perpetrated by men erodes the social fabric of nations. Men and boys must challenge harmful norms and power imbalances that normalise violence.”
The NPA regularly releases statements on prosecuted offenders — and among them are pastors.
Rev. Prof. Musa Xulu, chair of the CRL Rights Commission Section 22 Committee for the Christian Sector, said the church takes the crisis seriously.
He said the church is strengthening safeguarding policies — including mandatory background checks, clear reporting procedures and regular training. It is partnering with NGOs to provide counseling, safe-house referrals and legal assistance.
“The abuse by pastors is a profound betrayal of trust,” said Xulu. “Any leader who exploits his position must be held accountable, removed from ministry and reported to authorities. The church must protect the vulnerable, walk with survivors and ensure such crimes cannot be hidden.”
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Timeline of abuse
The following timeline documents a series of court cases and convictions involving pastors accused of sexual violence against minors and young congregants between 2024 and 2025. The cases, spanning multiple churches, highlight a disturbing pattern of abuse.
— Nov, 19, 2025: Pastor Hendrick Zamani Tana, 43, was found guilty of sexually assaulting the 11-year-old daughter of one of his church members.
— Nov, 3, 2025: Self-styled pastor Sabata Mariti received a 55-year prison sentence for three counts of rape committed against congregation members aged between 13 and 23.
— October 2025: A 41-year-old pastor from Jesus Is the Answer Ministries was sentenced to life in prison, along with an additional five years for the rape of a 12-year-old girl and the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl, both of whom were part of his congregation.
— September 2025: A 57-year-old pastor was sentenced on three counts of raping a 17-year-old girl who was a member of his church.
— August 2025: Confidence Monyela, 39, received two life sentences plus an additional 35 years for multiple rapes involving minor victims ranging from 14 to 17 years old.
— July 2025: A 59-year-old pastor was given 10 life sentences for the rapes of 12 minor boys and girls aged between six and 14 years. He was also convicted on seven counts of sexual assault and seven counts of exposing children to pornography, leading to an additional 70 years in prison.
— September 2024: Pastor Dumisani Khumalo, 42, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of a 14-year-old minor that occurred in 2020.
— May 2024: A 44-year-old pastor was sentenced to life imprisonment for one count of rape and attempted rape of his 14-year-old stepdaughter.
— March 2024: Pastor Frank Tshabalala, 34, of Jehovah Jireh Church was sentenced to two life terms for two counts of rape, 15 years of direct imprisonment for statutory rape, 10 years for theft, and one year of direct imprisonment for assault.
Vicky Abraham is an investigative journalist based in South Africa and has reported for the Mail & Guardian, City Press, Assist News, the Nation newspaper in Nigeria and Nation Media Group in Kenya.