Rape, murder case against self-proclaimed pastor postponed
The state alleges Mkhawane also raped the infant's mother during a religious cleansing ritual.
A self-proclaimed pastor and two women have been accused of the murder and sexual assault of a four-month-old baby, according to prosecutors. The case has sparked calls for greater accountability among religious leaders. Caiphus Mkhawane, Ntsako Makhubela, and Amanda Mnguni appeared before the Atteridgeville Magistrate’s Court, facing charges such as premeditated murder, rape, human trafficking, kidnapping, fraud, and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The prosecution alleges that Mkhawane also raped the baby's mother during a religious cleansing ritual in the Hennops River in Centurion, where the infant's body was subsequently found in a shallow grave near the river.
Pastor Samuel Seale of The Coming Jesus Ministry dismissed Mkhawane as a "ritualist," emphasizing the difference between a genuine pastor and a ritualist. Seale noted that Mkhawane, who does not have a church in Diepsloot, attends church under trees, labeling him as a ritualist.
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