Pastor sentenced to life in prison for rape of 6 children, aged between 3 and 9

The Pretoria High Court sitting in Benoni Magistrate’s Court, sentenced Pastor Lucky Mfanivele Magagula (36), to two life terms for rape, exposing children to pornography, sexual assault, exposing his genitals to children and sexually grooming six minor children, aged 3,4,6,8,9 years old.  

The Judge ordered that his name be added to the national register for sexual offenders and that he be declared unfit to possess a firearm.

This is after Judge Jay Monyemangeni, found him guilty of 3 counts of rape, 5 counts of exposing children to pornography, 6 counts of sexual assault, and 4 counts of exposing genitals to children and sexual grooming on 5 August . 

Magagula is a Pastor of Itshe Lengumbi Church, in Barcelona, a small community where all his victims reside.   

The NPA's Lumka Mahanjana says rhe 3-year-old minor was a neighbour to Magagula when he raped her in February 2021.  

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"She had gone to his house to play with her relative, who was also related to him. After the incident, he confessed to raping the child during a family meeting," says Mahanjana . 

"He raped the 8 and the 9 year old minors, and further sexually assaulted, and sexually groomed them together with 3 others between 2020 and 2021 when they would go to his house for choir practice and bible study. 

"This was reported to the police, after a brother of two of his victims, saw his sisters play and undress, the brother then reported what he saw his siblings do to his grandmother.   When the grandmother enquired with the 4-year-old minor she confessed and told her that was what the pastor was doing to them.  The grandmother told the parents of the children, who then apprehended Magagula and took him to the police station.  He was then arrested on 11 February 2021 and has been in custody since, after the state successfully opposed bail.  In court, he pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him."

In aggravation of sentence, Adv. Juliet Makgwatha told the court that Magagula was a pastor in the community, and the children trusted him. 

He was in a position of trust; he opened the church to help the community, instead, he betrayed that trust and violented children in the most gruesome manner. 

She, therefore, asked the court to impose a sentence that will send a strong message.  

In delivering his sentence Judge Monyemangeni agreed with the state and said, “the children were robbed of their childhood, Magagula exposed them to something that will affect them for the rest of their lives”.  

The Director of Public Prosecution Adv. Sibongile Mzinyathi applauded the good work done by the prosecutor, the court preparation officer, and the FCS investigator Sergeant Emily Sbongile Mahlangu.  

He also hopes that this sentence will send a strong message that crimes against children and women will not be tolerated