In Mpumalanga, a pastor who sexually abused teenage boys and young men within his church, deceiving them with prayers, has been handed a substantial 55-year prison sentence.
The 46-year-old John Philane Masilela (pictured above in court) was convicted of four counts of rape and seven counts of sexual assault, marking the end of a heinous chapter.
These abhorrent crimes occurred between 2012 and 2018 when Masilela served as a pastor at the Good Shepherd Church. His seven victims, aged between 17 and 26, endured his predatory actions.
The sentencing took place in the KwaMhlanga Regional Court.
As revealed by Monica Nyuswa, the spokesperson for the Mpumalanga National Prosecuting Authority, Masilela shamelessly presented himself as a prophet of God within his church in Suncity, KwaMhlanga.
He used his position to exploit and harm his congregation.
Masilela's modus operandi involved praying for his victims while inappropriately touching their private parts. He manipulated them, convincing them that this violation was necessary to prevent them from engaging in immoral behavior.
His deceptive tactics included claiming divine instructions and foreseeing their futures.
However, justice prevailed when in 2020, all of Masilela's victims courageously came forward and pressed charges against him. He was arrested but maintained a not guilty plea, asserting that his victims had consented to his actions.
Prosecutor Bianca Harmse presented the testimonies of the seven victims in court, painting a disturbing picture of Masilela's abuse of power.
He would misquote scriptures from the Bible to justify his actions, falsely claiming that such acts were necessary to protect the victims from entanglement with the wrong individuals.
Magistrate Merlene Greyvenstein, in her ruling, labeled the accused as a sexual predator who preyed on the youth within his congregation. She exposed his blatant dishonesty and manipulation, emphasizing that he had used their faith and trust in God to break down their resistance and fulfill his own dark desires.
To underscore the profound impact of these heinous acts, Harmse presented a victim impact statement in court, illustrating the lasting trauma experienced by the survivors.
In light of the evidence and the gravity of his crimes, Masilela received a sentence of 10 years for each of the four rape convictions and five years for each of the seven sexual assault convictions, amounting to a total of 55 years in prison.
In another news, a 15-year-old boy has been arrested for the murder of two people who died in a drive-by shooting. See detailed story here
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