‘Rape’ priest gets bail
Depressed teen wants justice
A TEENAGER is demanding justice, claiming she was raped by her family priest at his Pietermaritzburg home after she and her cousin prepared his supper.
The 18-year-old said she was on antiretrovirals and antidepressants as she tried to pick up the shattered pieces of her life.
The 30-year-old priest, a divorced father, was arrested on July 3, a day after the alleged rape, and has already appeared twice in Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court. He was granted R1 000 bail yesterday (Tuesday) and has relocated to KwaDukuza.
He is alleged to have put on loud music and began drinking and dancing before pouncing on the girls. He also allegedly wanted them to smoke dagga.
The parties cannot be named as the teenager is an alleged victim of rape and the accused has yet to plead to any charges.
None of the allegations has been tested in court.
According to a source, the accused intends pleading not guilty and if granted bail will likely relocate pending his trial.
The teenager, who is living with her divorced mother, told POST that stares from members of the public who might be aware of the case have been making her uncomfortable.
“The antidepressants are keeping me sane.”
The teen was given a “morning after” pill to prevent pregnancy and also had an injection to prevent any sexually transmitted diseases.
But she said she refused to hide in shame.
“I want justice; he destroyed my life,” she said. “I don’t know many others he could have done this to.”
The bespectacled teen, who is tall and slim, said she and her 16-year-old cousin were at Funtubbles at the Liberty Midlands Mall on July 2.
“We paid a lady to drop us off and fetch us. At around 10pm my mother’s sister told us she was going to fetch us from the mall. She arrived with the priest and we went back to my aunty’s house.”
She said she had been living with her aunt to help care for her ailing grandmother, who died a week before the alleged rape.
“When we arrived at her house, the priest asked if he could take my cousin and me back to his house to make him food. I refused because we were tired, but my aunty told us that we mustn’t be spoilt and to go.”
She said they went reluctantly. At his house he allegedly took out vienna sausages from the fridge and told them to fry them.
“We thought, how hard was it for him to fry viennas? He then went into the lounge, put on loud music and began drinking and dancing.”
The teenager said after frying the viennas she and her cousin went into the lounge and the priest allegedly told her cousin to go and see his prayer room.
“When she went down, he followed her and I heard her screaming. When I went down I saw him trying to pull her into a room and she was holding on to a gate.”
She said they managed to escape into the bathroom and locked themselves in.
“He started banging on the door, telling us he was playing with us and we should just come out, and we believed him. He was a family friend.”
She said they went back into the lounge and this time, the priest allegedly began hitting them and forcing them to drink.
“He also told us that we must smoke zol (dagga) and he went to fetch it. We ran back into the bathroom and we locked ourselves in.”
But it seemed as if the door was breaking, she said.
“I decided to go out and told my cousin to lock herself in. As I emerged, he tied me up using a sheet, but I managed to escape while he went to my cousin.”
But she said he grabbed her again. “While (he was) taking my clothes off, my cousin contacted my aunty and she (the cousin) brought the cellphone to the guru. I’m not sure what my aunty asked him, but he assured her everything was okay.
“He had my mouth covered with his hand and gave the phone back to my cousin and told her to act like me. I’m not sure but I think she went back and locked herself in the bathroom again.”
She said that was when the alleged rape took place.
A while later they heard banging on the front door and her aunt arrived, she said.
“We put our clothes on. I ran to tell my cousin that my aunty was there.
“The guru and my aunty were having a normal conversation. As we left his home, he told my cousin that I would regret telling anyone and that I was going to see (what would happen) if I did.
“After we left, my aunty took us to a police station and then to a hospital, where it was confirmed I had been raped.”
The teenager’s mother, overcome with emotion, said she would ensure justice would prevail.
“Her life is ruined. I want him to pay. She is only 18. She can’t even step out of her house,” she said.
“We don’t care if he tries to do black magic. God is not blind and neither is justice.
“We are trying to be as normal as possible and when my child is ready to talk, she will tell me all the details. She is having terrible nightmares.”
The priest was arrested at his mother’s home, where he operated his temple, by Warrant Officer Ravie Pather.
The priest apparently travels all over the country, especially to Cape Town and Gauteng, blessing people’s homes as a full-time job.