THE Rustenburg Regional Court sentenced pastor Zoliswa Menziwa (36) to two years imprisonment on Thursday, 11 December, for contravention of section 22 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act, 2007 (Act No. 32 of 2007).
Menziwa was arrested at a house used as a church in Sondela Phase 1, Rustenburg, on 1 June 2022 following a tip-off.
Daily Sun published the story on 7 June 2022 headlined: PASTOR told us to strip naked and again on 13 June 2022, under headline: Naked church members get bail.
The church members were all naked at the time of the arrest, except for the 36-year-old church leader.
The congregants said the pastor instructed them to remove their clothes as she had a vision that Jesus was coming back.
She was found with five congregants who were naked together with eleven children.
The convict was the only individual who was found clothed at the time, and she was allegedly the church leader.
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After preliminary investigations, all children between the ages of four and 12 - six boys and five girls - were removed from the house.
They were taken to social workers for intervention and ultimately placed under the care of other family members.
One of the residents said they were happy that justice was served, adding that she feared being attacked for speaking up.
“I'm one of the people who called the police."
She said they would have never allowed the pastor back into the community.
Nomonde Mcingani, a friend of the convicted pastor, said she was unhappy about the conviction.
“I believe she was influenced by evil spirits. She needs help not imprisonment.
“I want her to receive the help she needs because a normal person wouldn’t act the way she did,” she said.
Police spokesman Captain Sam Tselanyane said the case was allocated to the Rustenburg family violence, child protection and sexual offences (FCS) unit for further investigation.
He said thorough investigations were conducted by unit commander Colonel Mosidi Mafora and Warrant Officer Phiri Mfetane.
Tselanyane said the accused was found guilty as charged, while the other five accused were acquitted.
Menziwa was sentenced to two years imprisonment wholly suspended for five years on the condition that she is not convicted of the same charge during the period of suspension.
North West police commissioner Lieutenant-General Sello Kwena welcomed the sentence.
Sello said that the police remain committed to fighting crimes against women and children.
He said defending the vulnerable will always remain a priority for the police in the province.
Sello also praised the investigating team for the sterling job of ensuring that perpetrators of this kind of crime face the full might of the law.
