HE IS a respected man of the cloth – with a dark past.
Bishop Lebogang Manamela of the St Paul Apostolic Church in Winterveld, Tshwane told Daily Sun he regretted all the crimes he’d committed.
He doesn’t think the sentence he got was enough as he caused suffering to so many people.
Manamela said he committed armed robbery, hijacked cars and killed people.
He was arrested in 2003 after he was shot three times during a business robbery in The Orchards.
He was sentenced to 25 years in prison in July 2005 for armed robbery, murder, hijacking and attempted murder. “I was a gangster from the age of 12 and carried a firearm. We used muthi to bathe in and refrained from sex so we wouldn’t get caught,” he said.
He served 13 years and nine months before he was released from Kgosi Mampuru II Prison on 30 October, 2014. He said he realised if he didn’t change his ways, his mother would die of a heart attack.
In 2008, he became a pastor while in prison and was ordained as a bishop in 2016 at St Paul Apostolic Church.
He said he was a busy prisoner, preaching the word of God after giving his life to Christ.
Manamela said he met some victims and others forgave him.
“I still have nightmares about what I did,” he said.
His wife, Kholofelo Manamela, said her husband changed a lot.
“What I love most about him is he cares about other people and wants to make a difference in their lives,” she said.
Church member, pastor Sipho Skhosana said: “Manamela is a good leader and continues to motivate people to do good things.”
