Married pastor gets 10 years for raping teenage congregant he ‘was in love with’
The charismatic founder of Freedom Grace Church, Pastor Tirafalo Boy Mmelesi is no longer a free man.
The 35-year-old ‘Man of God’ will spend the next decade of his life locked up behind bars after he was found guilty of raping a 17-year-old congregant in the church toilets on 11 May 2022.
Famous for his snappy dress-sense and moving sermons, the clergyman, popularly known as Apostle Joseph, was handed his fate on Tuesday.
Unimpressed with his claims that the sex was consensual and the underage teenager his secret lover, Molepolole Chief Magistrate, Gaseitsewe Tonoki described the Pastor as a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Delivering a fiery speech Apostle Joseph would have been proud of, the Magistrate condemned wayward church leaders as a stain on society.
“Society or people seem to sacrifice their money or even their bodies in the name of religion. People travel long distances and spend most of their time in religious gatherings just to quench their religious thirst. These are rights protected by the constitution of Botswana. It’s most unfortunate that some men masquerading as pastors come to unsuspecting believers for sexual justification. These pastors are angels of doom, society, especially women, beware of such wolves in sheep skin.
“The accused knew of his power in his congregation, the trust they had on him. He used it to lure the complainant to his lion’s den while he knew the purpose of his calling was not religious. Pastors have great influence on their followers, the victim obeyed her pastor,” blasted Magistrate Tonoki.
In mitigation, Pastor Mmelesi maintained there was no rape, insisting they were having an affair and the complainant agreed to sleep with him willingly.
“May the court have mercy upon me, I didn’t just commit the offence, we were in a love relationship,” he explained, speaking in quiet tones, a far cry from the thunderous lectures he’s famous for.
Adding to Mmelesi’s nerves, his wife, who he married last December and who was his girlfriend at the time of the supposed affair, was sitting in court listening to every word.
The revelation did not go down well with her, or the Magistrate.
“That means you defiled the girl; it’s only that the prosecution didn’t bring the birth certificate, you could be facing a charge of defilement which is also 10 years imprisonment,” slammed Tonoki.
According to the victim’s statement, the afternoon before the rape, Pastor Mmelesi phoned her aunt, requesting the teenager’s presence at the church’s headquarters in Sojwe.
The girl obeyed, but upon arrival, the Pastor instructed her to accompany him to the toilet, claiming he wanted to ‘show her something’.
Once inside, he reportedly locked them in and instructed her to undress. When she refused, he pulled her panties down to the knees.
Although the teen told him she did not want to, overcome by desire, the Man of God went ahead and satisfied his urges, forcing her to bend over and proceeding to have unprotected sex while standing from behind.
“She didn’t shout for help because she was scared, after that she went home to bath. When her aunt arrived they both went to church. She didn’t tell the aunt about the incident. The following day when the aunt asked her what they were doing at the church with the pastor she told her that they kissed. The same day the girl later told another Pastor, Tshepo Sentlhaga that the pastor had raped her. Tshepo then told the aunt and the girl’s uncle and the matter was reported to the police,” said the magistrate.
Court heard that after the rape, Mmelesi went for the official opening of the church branch in Loologane conducting all-night prayers.
According to Sentlhaga’s evidence, when they confronted Mmelesi, he did not deny sleeping with the victim and claimed they were in a love relationship.
However, in her testimony, the victim vehemently disputed that they were ever lovers.
During trial, the accused, who has been out on bail for the majority of the case, opted to remain silent and did not call any witnesses.
Before passing sentence, court took into account the fact the suspect was a first-offender and thus saw fit to hand him the minimum punishment.
It means he will be away from the pulpit for the next decade.
