A gospel singer gave testimony in the Bishop Stephen Zondo rape trial as he was once fingered as the alleged rapist, but the victim however told a radio station that it was allegedly Zondo instead.
Bishop Bafana Stephen Zondo s much-awaited sex trial starts iol.co.za - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from iol.co.za Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
âZondo rape claims falseâ Sifiso Jimta
But a senior pastor came out with guns blazing to defend him.
Pastor Lydia Malete of Rivers of Living Waters Ministries rubbished allegations by her niece Bongi Mofokeng that Zondo had raped her. She said Mofokeng was making up stories.
Last month, Mofokeng told the commission that Zondo raped her at a hotel in the south of Joburg, and told her that she’d die if she told anyone about it.
She said she told a relative and shortly thereafter, her mother and sister died in an accident she was also involved in.
Malete told the commission that Mofokeng had told her the same story about being raped before she joined the church, but the accusation was made against a businessman she slept with to get her driving licence.
Bishop Stephen Zondo is facing scores of allegations, including the rape of a church member. Image: FILE / PETER MOGAKI
The latest CRL Rights Commission hearings into the alleged sexual abuse claims against the head of the Rivers of Living Waters church on Monday exposed how the scandal has seemingly torn a family apart.
On Monday, Pastor Lydia Malete, a member of Rivers of Living Waters, testified before the commission, disputing allegations made by her niece before the commission that she had been sexually assaulted by head of the church, Bishop Stephen Zondo.
Malete told the commission that she was shocked to hear the allegations made by her niece.
Rivers of Living Waters leader Bishop Bafana Stephen Zondo has been accused of sexual assault.
The aunt of one of the victims who testified that Zondo allegedly raped her has denied the claims against the bishop.
The woman, a pastor at Rivers of Living Waters in Springs, says her niece initially told her she was raped by a music artist.
The relative of a former Rivers of Living Waters Ministries member who accuses its leader, Bishop Stephen Zondo, of sexually abusing her, says she is concerned about the claims her niece is making against the church leader.
Bongi Mofokeng’s aunt, Pastor Lydia Malete, testified before the Commission for the the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Commission) in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, on Monday.