Limpopo pastor convicted for raping girls 'to cast away evil spirits'

Pastor James Thubakgale of Devine Deliverance Church, based in Seshego, allegedly presented himself to his congregants as a powerful man of God who was able to heal the sick and cast away.

He told his followers he was sent to the world to save them.

“He would command to be called a Judge as he is going to be a Judge with God at the end of the world. He would demand that congregants must bring all their monies to church and even their retirement savings,” explains National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Mashudu Malabi Dzhangi.

She adds that the congregants in his church respected, obeyed and took orders from him as they believed that he was part of the holy trinity and was closest to God.

“Whatever he wanted from his congregants, they would do for him. He would target young girls who were under 16 years of age and who showed committed to the word of God. He promised them marriage, telling them that it was God himself who wanted that they be married.

“He would then rape the complainants at a lodge, in his motor vehicles and also in their rooms which he, the accused was responsible for rental,” says Malabi Dzhangi.

According to Malabi Dzhangi, the pastor would induce fear to his complainants by telling them that if they refused either to marry him or have sexual intercourse with him, God will punish them for disobedience and there would be death and sickness in their families.

“At all times the victims would obey the accused's rules and once they defy him he would scold them, calling them witches and that they were possessed by evil spirits. He would personally assault the complainants in full view of other fellow congregants.

He would then demanded that congregants must bring all their monies including retirements to church. The victims believed that the accused was telling them the truth and that they would see heaven,” she explains.

The pastor continued with his reign of terror without the complainants reporting the incident to the authorities in fear of sickness and death from 2010 until 2017.

He was finally convicted on Monday.

“In the previous case Thubakgale was sentenced on 30 September 2020 by Mankweng Regional court to two life terms imprisonment for two counts of rape of minor girls for the incidents of 2011and 2012.”

The case has been postponed to 24 March for sentencing.

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