Kabelo Tlhabanelo
The woman was lured with the promise of being a nanny to a pastor’s toddler – but instead she was allegedly kept prisoner and raped repeatedly for two days and two nights.
The pastor whose church is based in Bloemfontein was arrested and charged with rape and human trafficking.
According to Free State Hawks spokesperson Captain Christopher Singo the pastor said he needed the woman to babysit his son because he was attending a church service in Thaba-Nchu.
But he attended no church service on Friday.
When the 32-year-old woman, desperate for work, started looking after the pastor’s four-year-old son, her ordeal started.
She did not have a cellphone and had to wait to get hold of a cellphone and called the cops.
On Sunday, the woman managed to flee from her alleged rapist’s house in Lakeview Bloemspruit. She managed to sneak out with the pastor’s child and his cellphone and ran as fast as she could while calling Bloemfontein Police’s Flying Squad.
She waited at a filling station to be rescued.
Captain Singo said the cops found the woman and went with her to the house where they found the pastor.
Singo said she didn’t do anything wrong by running with the child.
“The pastor was found in the house and was arrested,” he said.
Singo said a stolen vehicle was also found in the yard.
The pastor faces charges of rape, trafficking of a person and possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
“He will appear before Bloemfontein Magistrate Court on Wednesday,” said Singo.
