South African Pastor jailed for r@ping his ‘team of prophecy’ members

A Free State pastor has been sentenced to fifty-five years in prison for raping three teenage congregants he summoned under false pretenses. The Welkom High Court delivered the judgment against Sabata Mariti, who previously presented himself as a miracle worker within his religious community.

The forty-one-year-old clergyman faced three counts of rape involving young members of his church. According to police reports, the victims belonged to a group called “Team of Prophecy” that Mariti established within his congregation.

This church group consisted of girls aged thirteen to twenty-three years old. Members were required to attend daily church sessions and frequently slept over at the pastor’s residence for prayer meetings and spiritual activities.

Police spokesperson Sergeant Mahlomola Kareli detailed the disturbing pattern of abuse that occurred between July and August 2022. Mariti systematically used his spiritual authority to groom and eventually sexually assault the young women under his pastoral care.

In one particularly distressing incident, the pastor summoned three girls to his private room claiming he needed help with the social media platform TikTok. This deceptive request formed part of his calculated strategy to isolate potential victims.

As detailed in the complete version, there are several key factors to consider.

“After one victim was instructed to rub his feet and fell asleep, she woke to find Mariti sexually assaulting another fifteen-year-old girl,” Kareli stated during court proceedings. The situation escalated rapidly from that point.

The pastor then proceeded to rape a seventeen-year-old girl present in the room. When the third victim, who was a virgin, initially resisted his advances, Mariti left briefly only to return and forcibly rape her despite her clear refusal.

Court documents revealed Mariti threatened the victims with dire consequences if they disclosed the assaults. He warned that their lives and their families’ safety would be destroyed if they revealed what had occurred during those prayer sessions.

The fifteen-year-old victim suffered severe psychological trauma following the assaults. She eventually left the church community, experienced deep depression, and attempted to take her own life as a result of the abuse.

The case came to light when the seventeen-year-old victim’s mother discovered suspicious WhatsApp messages on her daughter’s phone. The communications showed Mariti attempting to establish the teenager as his “wife” through persistent messaging.

These electronic conversations were preserved as critical evidence and reported to local authorities. Detective Sergeant Themba Jilimba from the Thabong SAPS family violence unit led the subsequent investigation that uncovered the full extent of the abuse.

Throughout the trial, Mariti maintained his innocence and claimed the victims had conspired against him. However, the state presented compelling evidence including medical reports and the preserved WhatsApp messages that contradicted his testimony.

Advocate Nel from the National Prosecuting Authority argued strongly for a severe sentence during proceedings. He emphasized that rape constitutes a humiliating and brutal invasion of the victim’s privacy, dignity, and bodily integrity.

The court considered the overwhelming evidence and the vulnerable nature of the victims when delivering the fifty-five-year prison term. The sentence reflects the seriousness of the crimes and the abuse of spiritual authority involved in the case.