[ad_1]
Bishop Zondo. (Photo by Gallo Images / Sowetan / Thulani Mbele)
- Former church members have accused Bishop Bafana Zondo of sexual assault and using his “spiritual powers” for “evil.”
- Zondo heads the Rivers of Living Waters ministries, which have branches in Gauteng and Botswana.
- A relative testified before the CRL Commission that a young Zondo raped her when she was 7 years old.
“If people thought [rape accused televangelist Timothy] Omotoso has done something horrible, wait for Bishop Zondo’s victims to start arriving. “
These were the chilling sentiments of former Rivers of Living Waters Ministries member Solly Poopedi.
READ | ‘Beaten until they wet their pants’ – Former KwaSizabantu member testifies in CRL Commission
Poopedi was the first witness called by the CRL Commission on the first day of investigations into allegations of sexual abuse against the church leader, Bishop Bafana Stephen Zondo.
Poopedi and his wife, Sizakele, left the church in 2019 and have since begun collecting accounts of victims of alleged abuse. According to them, they have spoken with at least 103 people and seven cases have been opened.
The chairman of the CRL Commission, Professor David Luka Mosoma, said they were aware of five open cases against the bishop.
News24 has seen the case numbers, but police were not immediately available for comment.
Violation
When contacted by News24, Zondo flatly denied all allegations against him and said the matter was sub judice.
“All things are still sub judice. I don’t know who I should answer to: the courts or the commission,” he said.
Zondo said he had been informed of the dates the commission would meet, adding that he was not aware of anything else other than the news reports he had seen on Monday. He did not indicate whether he would honor the commission’s invitation to appear before it.
One of Zondo’s alleged victims is a relative who told the commission that a teenage Zondo raped her when she was only 7 years old.
“He gave me R1 and a handful of candy and told me not to tell anyone,” the woman, who is now 46 years old, testified.
The commission also heard from Zondo’s sister, Khabo, who described her brother’s church as evil.
“My mother’s son is a snake, he is a witch. My brother’s church is the devil’s. As women in South Africa, we pray that the justice system will put him in overalls,” Khabo said.
Some of the allegations brought before the commission relate to Zondo’s alleged “evil spirits” or “supernatural powers” that were allegedly used against him after they left the church.
The commission’s chairman, Mosoma, said the commission needed to educate itself in order to better respond to situations.
“It is difficult to explain spiritual things and for people to believe them. The Western world finds it difficult to understand these spiritual things. A sect in English is different than our understanding of a sect,” he said.
The commission will resume its hearing on Tuesday.
Did you know that you can comment on this article? Subscribe to News24 and add your voice to the conversation.
