RESIDENTS of Bronkhorstspruit, east of Tshwane, are relieved justice has prevailed.
This after the North Gauteng High Court in Tshwane sentenced Congolese Pastor William Emeka to 37 years in prison.
The 48-year-old founder of God is Love Ministries was found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting five women from his congregation between 2015 and 2018.
The pastor allegedly tricked his victims by telling them they had a problem he could solve by praying for them and blessing them.
He then raped them.
One out of the five women fell pregnant and is still waiting for DNA results to determine if the child is the pastor’s or her husband’s.
Emeka was arrested in 2018 after his victims reported him to another pastor, who encouraged them to go to the police.
National Prosecuting Authority spokeswoman Lumka Mahanjana said Emeka was found guilty of 19 counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault and carrying forged documents purporting to be a legal immigrant when in fact he was an illegal foreign national.
Mahanjana said Emeka told one of his victims, who helped to look after his children, that he was helping to take out things inside her by sleeping with her and that she would not be able to conceive until those things came out.
“He will now be registered as a sex offender and is not allowed to carry a firearm,” she said.
Community activist Joyce Mapaila said she is happy with the sentence and hopes it will send a strong message to all bogus pastors.
“People should also stop trusting these pastors so blindly, because some of them have proven to have ill intentions,” she said.
National media officer of the South African Church Council Pastor Francina Tsoku said they supported the sentence.
“As national churches of South Africa, we have for many years been vocal against pastors who rape or do anything immoral.
“They don’t represent what a church stands for which is caring, loving and supporting one another,” said Tsoku.
