Crime in SA | Harrowing details of abuse emerge at pastor's trial

BISHO - "An egotistical narcissist, who manipulated the vulnerable and spiritually needy," is how pastor Lonwabo Tede has been described by a former church member.

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"We want to see justice for the traumatised victims who fell prey to Former church member Raymond Madinga said, "This pastor. He calls himself a man of God, but his actions are pure evil. I am also a victim of his because there was a time when I was a member of his church, and then we became business partners. But his intentions were clearly to sabotage me."

Madinga says that Tede, who doubles up as a traditional healer, would coerce women to sleep with him, and use his sperm as an ingredient for traditional medicine that he claimed could help them prevent certain illnesses.

Madinga says the self-proclaimed healer made advances towards his then-girlfriend.

He said, "He even proposed to my ex-girlfriend, and that's when we stopped seeing eye to eye. I then decided to leave his church."

Tede and his co-accused, Vuyolwethu Nosisana Namba, face a whopping 30 charges. Namba is accused of luring young girls to sleep with the church leader.

The trial began this week, with the media restricted from filming in court.

The first witness testified that she was raped when she was only 13.

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The witness said, "I was scared not to go to church. It was thought that I would speak out about what I experienced outside the church. And if I dared to speak, there would be a lot of bad things that would happen to me, that he said would happen." 

The Disciples Apostolic Church in Zion leader allegedly has a long history of violating women. Rumours are rife that he was kicked out by the community of KwaNoncampa for "committing unholy deeds". 

Disturbing details have emerged at the Bhisho High Court in the Eastern Cape of how a pastor and traditional leader forced young girls to sleep with him. 

Despite the damning allegations levelled against Tede, some say that he's loved and respected by many people who attend his church. 

Mike Maseti, a defence lawyer said, "The person whom we are dealing with here is highly respected. He's not only a religious leader he's a traditional healer and holds an honorary doctorate, which is an attribute that many of us will never acquire."  

But our attempts to hear from the locals of Quzini village about the sexual predator allegations made against their community leader proved fruitless. 

Despite the trial being under way, it may take many more years before a verdict is reached.

Maseti said, "The trial will take a number of years to conclude because if you see the indictment, it mirrors that of Timothy Omotoso. In fact, the prosecutor dealing with the matter is the one who drafted the Omotoso indictment."

The trial may be a step closer to justice for those who say they have been emotionally traumatised by someone they trusted to protect them against evil. 

They will first have to relive the painful experiences they say have left them with scars for the rest of their lives.