A South African Pastor, Sthembiso Nathaniel Kubheka, will spend the next 30 years in prison for raping and sexually assaulting young men.
38-year-old Kubheka was sentenced in the Witbank Regional Court during the week.
The pastor reportedly preyed on his male victims in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga, places where he hosted several revival crusades.
The police disclosed that Kubheka would make friends with the victims at his crusades and lure them through social media platforms to visit him in Vosman, near Witbank.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said that in December 2015, Kubheka had already managed to build trust with his victims and even enticed them by promising to conduct special prayers in private for them.
“Once they arrived at his place, the accused would make sexual advances. About five males, then aged between 17 and 23, had fallen victim to his conniving trap,” Hlathi said.
Hlathi said the police were notified about Kubheka’s actions and they have since commenced investigations the matter.
Kubheka was arrested on 27 January 2016.
“During trial, Khubeka did not succeed in defending himself against overwhelming evidence brought against him, hence his well-deserved sentence, which was handed down in court,” said Hlathi.
Khubeka was sentenced to 10 years for rape, and 10 years each for four counts of sexual assault.
When his sentence was handed down, the court indicated that Kubheka will not have an option to apply for a parole on a count of rape, and two counts of sexual assault.
“He will languish effectively in prison for 30 years. The accused was also declared unfit to possess a firearm and his name will be entered into the register of sexual offenders,” Hlathi said.
