A controversial Seshego pastor, who was charged with four counts of rape, fraud and assault GBH was denied bail.
Pastor James Thubakgale appeared together with five other suspects at Seshego Magistrate Court.
All the suspects were remanded in custody, until next week Monday for verification of pending cases.
The 57-year-old Thubakgale who is a pastor at Devine Deliverance Church and his five accomplices were probed by the police, after church congregants opened cases against him.
The Pastor and his accomplices allegedly assaulted congregants severely, during church services when they failed to contribute towards tithes and offerings.
He's also implicated in allegations of extortion of millions, from pensioners who had just retired.
The state prosecutor argued that all the suspects should be reminded behind bars for profiling and checks if they don't have other pending cases.
The Pastor is also suspected of having raped girls as young as 14.
Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo confirmed that more than forty cases of rape and assault are still being investigated including other allegations that the deaths of certain congregants might have been concealed.
"This Friday the same pastor will be appearing in the Mankweng Magistrate Court for two other counts of rape that were committed in Polokwane in 2012.
By then the rape victims were 14 and 16 and he was released from police cells on bail of R2000."
Police investigations are continuing and more arrests and charges are possible.
A former church member who didn't want to be named said he is not surprised that the Pastor is arrested because his ways are evil
In 2016 November, Daily Sun ran a story about the same pastor being attacked in Micklenburg near Burgersfort, by his branch congregants accusing him of using a snake to perform fake miracles.
