Kimberley - Allegations of pictures of a naked woman and flirty messages involving a 29-year-old pastor, Treasure Nkwabela, from the New Beginnings Ministries, were made in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
Nkwabela faces charges of rape and theft under false pretences and applied for bail on Thursday.
This follows accusations that he raped a 20-year-old female member of his congregation on April 24 after he promised to heal her of her demons for R25 000.
According to the investigating officer, Sindile Mahashi, the alleged incident occurred when the woman consulted the pastor after she became ill.
“According to the complainant, she called the accused and told him that she was sick. The accused then went to her house and fetched her, telling her that he would heal her. He then allegedly took her to his house in Homestead, where he informed her that she was suffering from evil attacks. He then allegedly told her to undress and he penetrated her,” Mahashi said.
He told the court that the accused left for Limpopo after the incident, leaving the complainant at his house to recover.
“She stayed at his house for a week while he was in Limpopo. According to the complainant, when he returned he told her that she had been possessed by evil spirits and had to pay him R25 000 in order for him to heal her. The woman said she paid the pastor R23 000 and said she would pay the outstanding money after she had been healed. This money was never paid, however, and the complainant opened a case against the accused.”
The court questioned why the complainant took so long to open a case and questioned whether this was because there had been consent.
Mahashi answered that he could not state why she delayed in reporting the incident.
“When I asked the complainant why she did not lay a charge immediately after the incident, she said it was because she was trying to get hold of the accused in order to get her money back. According to her, the accused penetrated her and told her that she would be healed.”
Mahashi also told the court that the accused had, after his arrest, contacted the complainant from the police holding cells.
“The accused was arrested on Tuesday (June 7) and on Wednesday night, at approximately 8pm, he allegedly called the complainant and asked her why she had opened a case.
“He apparently asked for her banking details so that he could pay her back.
“This resulted in the complainant moving to an alternative address as she now fears for her safety,” Mahashi said.
Nkwabela’s legal representative, Chwaro Kgotlomang, disputed that the phone call was made by his client and said that the cellphone was in the possession of the accused’s girlfriend the entire time.
Kgotlomang said that the accused and the complainant were in a relationship and that there was evidence to support this.
“The complainant sent naked pictures of herself to the accused. She also sent a picture of her private parts to the accused saying you will miss this’.
“According to the accused, he and the complainant were in a relationship and he did not rape her.
“When the accused refused to carry on with the relationship, the complainant decided to lay charges against him.
“The complainant also threatened the accused, demanding that he pay her money back or she would go to the police.
“The accused also disputes that he penetrated the complainant in order for her to receive healing,” Kgotlomang argued.
Mahashi said the that he could not testify about whether there was a relationship between the couple or the authenticity of the messages and pictures that were allegedly sent, as this still had to be verified by forensic experts.
“The phone number from which the messages were sent was that of the complainant. However, there are ways that some people can manipulate technology. We have to verify whether those pictures were indeed sent from the complainant’s phone,” Mahashi added.
He indicated to the court that he was opposing bail as Nkwabela had already made contact with the complainant, who was now fearing for her safety.
He also told the court that there was no certainty that if the pastor was granted bail he would not make contact with any other witnesses.
Kgotlomang argued that because his client carried no knowledge of the new address of the complainant, it diminished the possibility of him making contact with her.
Magistrate Benjamin September, after sternly warning Nkwabela to adhere to his bail conditions, granted the pastor bail of R3 000.
“You do not make any contact with the complainant,” he warned. “By that, I mean no physical contact, no phone calls, no messages via Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter or any form of communication. When you see her in the street, you run in the opposite direction. If you do not adhere to these conditions, I will issue a warrant for your arrest and rebuke your bail and you will be locked up.”
The matter has been postponed to July for further investigation.
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