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- A pastor was sentenced to effective 30 years for raping and sexually assaulting young men.
- Sthembiso Nathaniel Kubheka, 38, was sentenced in Witbank Regional Court on Monday.
- Khubheka preyed on male victims in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.
A pastor, who raped and sexually assaulted young men, will spend 30 years in jail.
Sthembiso Nathaniel Kubheka, 38, was sentenced in Witbank Regional Court on Monday.
Khubeka took advantage of the youth by presenting himself as a reliable shepherd.
He organized revival crusades in different areas of the KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga provinces.
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Police spokesman Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said: “In those crusades, he then befriended the victims and lured them through social media to visit him in Vosman, near Witbank.
Around December 2015, Kubheka had already managed to build trust with her victims and even lured them by promising to perform special prayers in private for them.
“Once they arrived at his house, the accused made sexual advances. About five men, then between 17 and 23 years old, had been victims of his trap.”
Hlathi said the police were notified of Kubheka’s actions and that they investigated the matter.
Kubheka was arrested on January 27, 2016.
“During the trial, Khubeka was unable to defend herself from the overwhelming evidence presented against her, hence her well-deserved sentence, which was handed down in court,” Hlathi said.
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Khubeka was sentenced to 10 years for rape and 10 years each for four counts of sexual assault.
At the time of sentencing, the court indicated that Kubheka will not have the option of requesting parole on one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault.
“He will effectively languish in prison for 30 years. The defendant was also declared incapable of possessing a firearm and his name will be entered in the sex offender registry,” Hlathi said.
Mpumalanga Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Mondli Zuma has praised the work done by investigative teams, the prosecution and the judiciary, which led to the heavy sentences.
Zuma has also praised the victims for their courage in coming forward to open cases and in testifying against the accused.
“We believe that the sentence will dissuade others from following in the footsteps of the defendants and we are also confident that it will renew hope for victims of crime,” Zuma said.
