Popular man of God, Isaac Sithole, of Oasis of Life Family Church, was arrested for sexual assault for allegedly fondling a female congregant in the presence of her children.
The incident allegedly happened at the church’s headquarters in Benoni, on the East Rand, on October 20 last year.
Although the alleged incident happened last year, the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, only opened the case this year.
Records show that the Daveyton police station registered the case on February 14 this year.
According to a police statement Sunday World has seen, the victim allegedly left her home with her two children to visit Sithole at the church building after scheduling a meeting with him.
The Bible-puncher’s wife secured an appointment for the woman for divine intervention after she complained that her children were experiencing regular nightmares at night.
The victim alleged that when they arrived at the church building, they went to the foyer of Sithole’s office, where he prayed for them.
After laying his hands on them, alleges the victim, Sithole instructed the children to go and wait at the reception. Thereafter, she said, the man of the cloth came closer to her and tried to smooch her.
The victim stated that she pushed him away.
She alleged that the determined clergyman grabbed her and tried to pull her into his office. But, she said, he failed because she mounted a spirited fight against him.
“He was also trying to pull down the pair of pants she was wearing with his other hand in front of her pair of trousers in order to touch her vagina but her pair of trousers were tight,” reads the police statement.
She said that after failing to force himself on her, the ecclesiastic, who is arguably the richest cleric in Gauteng, told her that they should pray for her son.
According to her, Sithole also told her that he would help her son by buying herbs for him to use.
The victim said that after the alleged incident, she confided in one of the congregants.
The congregant, who is part of the church management, called a medical doctor, to whom she related her ordeal.
The victim reported the incident at Daveyton police station, and Sithole was arrested and charged with sexual assault.
He was to appear in the Benoni Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
A source close to the victim said that after his arrest, Sithole’s galaxy of followers contacted her and pleaded with her to drop the case in exchange for money.
“They started by saying that they would give her R100 000; when she refused, they upped the bribe offer to R300 000, but she still refused.
“She did not reject the money because she is rich; she is a woman of integrity. She just seeks justice,” said the deep throat, who did not want to be named for fear of victimisation.
Another mole, who also did not want to be named, said one of the relatives of the minister reached out to the victim and requested her to drop the case and rather resolve the matter out of court instead, but again, she refused.
“The problem is they want her to have a meeting with Sithole alone; they don’t want to involve senior church members, so she does not feel comfortable about that,” said the tipster.
Pressed for comment, the woman confirmed that she had opened a case of sexual assault against Sithole but declined to comment further.
“I have no comment to make,” she said.
Sithole did not respond to written questions Sunday World sent him for his side of the story.
