Pule Makgale
RIVERS of Living Waters Church leader Bishop Bafana Stephen Zondo will be back in court from 9 to 11 April when it will be revealed whether he will step into the witness box to present his defence against the host of rape charges against him or whether he will continue to fight the recusal of a judge. As a startling revelation, one of Zondo’s alleged victims told the court that he had used the church's holy oil as a lubricant when he raped her.
His application for the judge's recusal comes after his unsuccessful attempt to have certain charges dismissed under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act. Zondo claimed that the witnesses - mostly alleged victims - lied in court that he had raped them. He claimed they aimed to tarnish his name and to destroy him.
He maintained that some of them were jealous because he was a wealthy man. But Judge Papi Mosopa turned down the application, stating that, based on the evidence from the alleged victims, Zondo had a case to answer for.
At this point, he faces 10 charges, including sexual assault and the rape of seven women, most of whom are members of his church. The charges against Zondo have made headlines both for their serious nature and for the prominence of the accused.
Zondo is well-known for his leadership of the Rivers of Living Waters church, which boasts thousands of followers and a big television ministry.
The allegations have sparked widespread outrage, particularly among the congregation and the wider public, who have expressed disbelief at the conduct of a man they once regarded as a spiritual leader.
While the trial continues to unfold, legal experts have warned that the case could set significant precedents in the South African legal system, especially in terms of how allegations of sexual assault within religious organisations are handled.
If convicted, Zondo could face 25 years imprisonment, adding to the growing list of high-profile cases involving religious figures and sexual abuse.
A congregant has testified in court how she fainted when Bishop Stephen Zondo was praying for her only to wake up naked, her clothes scattered all over and feeling as if she just had sexual intercourse. The 33-year-old woman is one of Rivers of Living Waters Ministries congregants accusing their pastor of rape.
According to testimonies heard in court in the Pretoria case, his alleged modus operandi was to lure women into his office to pray for them, only to allegedly sexually assault or rape them. In the second case heard in Sebokeng, the woman – who used to work at the church –accused Zondo of raping her on four occasions and sexually assaulting her at church and also at his home in Vereeniging. The woman alleged that in November 2013, Zondo raped her in one of the church offices and offered her leftover food to give to her father afterwards.
She said before the rape she was at home when she received a call from her mother telling her to leave everything and rush to church because Zondo wanted to see her.
Upon her arrival at the church, Zondo told her to sit down, she said.“When I got to church I found him in another pastor’s office. He told me to sit down as he was going to pray for me.“I don’t remember the conversation between us, I just remember him praying and I fainted. When I woke up I was naked and felt like I had just had sexual intercourse and my clothes were scattered on the floor.
The court had to be adjourned for a few minutes to give the woman time to gather herself as she kept on breaking down while giving her testimony.
The woman further described how the man of the cloth again raped her at his home in Vereeniging asking her to relieve him.“He asked to pray with me, I took a taxi to Vereeniging and he picked me up where I got off. “When we got to his house, he gave me a bottle of water from the church that we call miracle water.“We then prayed.
''After praying he said I must follow him to the bedroom. I was afraid because I knew what was going to happen.“He came close to me and said I must hug him and when I refused he got angry and said I was rejecting him like everybody else. He said he trusts me with his weakness.
“I didn’t know what to do, I was confused, and he asked me to ‘relieve him’. He took off my top, saying ‘Please relieve me’.
“I was just powerless to fight, I was confused. He undressed himself and I also took off the pants I was wearing.“He told me to lie on the bed where there was a towel. He took miracle oil, gold in colour, and applied it on himself before he raped me,” she said.
Meanwhile, in his second rape case, where he faces five additional counts of rape, he is expected to appear at the Sebokeng Magistrates' Court on Thursday for the continuation of the State's case.