Pastor gets life for ra’e

Fourth suspect nabbed

JOHANNESBURG - A fourth suspect has been arrested in connection with the murder of Hillary Gardee. “The 36-year-old suspect was arrested yesterday evening at Kwa Thema, Springs,” Mpumalanga Police Spokesperson Brig Selvy Mohlala said on Friday. Mohlala said the suspect was found in possession of a pistol with its serial number filed off. “He is linked to three other murder cases which also happened in Mpumalanga. He is expected to appear in court soon.”

Alleged hitman arrested

JOHANNESBURG - Cape Town police nabbed an alleged hitman on Saturday morning in connection with the murder of a long-distance bus driver. The 28-year-old man is linked to the attacks on Intercape buses in Cape Town in March and April. Intercape driver Bongikhaya Machana, (35), was shot in April and died in hospital three days later. Western Cape Police Spokesperson Brig Novela Potelwa said the suspect was arrested in the early hours of the morning. “The suspect was arrested in Klapmuts, in the Cape winelands, during a tracing operation.’’

Woman dies in burning car

JOHANNESBURG - A woman died in a car crash at the 50/50 crossing south of Kriel in Mpumalanga on Friday night. ER24 said the woman’s vehicle, which was in a collision with a truck at the intersection of the R547 and R580, caught fire.

“ER24 paramedics attended the scene with the Secunda Fire Department. The light motor vehicle was found ablaze in the road. The blaze was extinguished by the fire department but, unfortunately, the woman was trapped in the burning car and had already succumbed to her injuries. She was declared dead on arrival by ER24. The truck driver was uninjured,” said the emergency service. Traffic officials and the SAPS were also on scene.

JOHANNESBURG - A 36-year-old pastor who raped three young girls and sexually groomed five others was sentenced to two life terms on Friday.

The Pretoria High Court, sitting in the Benoni Magistrates Court, found Lucky Mfanivele Magagula guilty of three counts of rape, five counts of exposing children to pornography, six counts of sexual assault and four counts of exposing genitals to children and sexual grooming last week.

Magagula is a pastor of a church in Barcelona, Benoni, where all his victims lived.

The three-year-old girl he raped in February last year stayed close to his house.

The child had gone to his house to play with a relative, who is related to him. After the incident, he confessed to raping the child during a family meeting.

He raped two other girls, aged eight and nine, and sexually assaulted and groomed them with three others between 2020 and last year, when they would go to his house for choir practice and Bible study, National Prosecuting Authority Spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said.

Magagula has been in custody since his arrest in February last year after bail was refused.