Male Rape Rap for ACDP Pastor, Moyahabo Mabeba, Sowetan, July 14, 2008

Male Rape Rap for ACDP Pastor

By Moyahabo Mabeba
Sowetan

July 14, 2008

http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=801190

A 20-year-old man has accused a married pastor of sexual assault, but the man of the cloth says the charge is a conspiracy to oust him from the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP).

Matlalela Mthunzini, a 28-year-old politician and preacher in the Total Surrender Church, will appear in the Seshego magistrate’s court in Limpopo again today.

In Mthunzini’s first court appearance, the plaintiff said: "He turned me around and climbed on top of me. I tried to resist but he managed to overpower me.

DISPLEASED: ACDP’s Limpopo leader Modiba Sedibane.

"He had sex with me from the back as if I was a woman."

He told the court Mthunzini had forced himself on him after he had asked him to look after his house on the night of October 21 last year .

Provincial ACDP leader Modiba Sedibane said: "Mthunzini is a disgrace to the party and does not deserve any sympathy from any church and the party."

Not mincing his words, he added: "What he did was downright immoral. He dragged the name of the party into disrepute and we cannot support him for that."

But a confident Mthunzini yesterday denied the allegations and said he will go to court armed with substantial evidence to exonerate him. He repeated that the charges were made up because of a political conspiracy against him by fellow party members.

He said that the complainant was paid to rubbish his political career.

"Look, there is infighting within the ACDP and people like Sedibane want to oust me from my position.

"While I was still in office, my position was advertised and filled without consulting me," he said.

"People in the organisation have also accused me of being gay.

"But I am a straight man and I am married with one kid and my wife is expecting another baby. These allegations have caused more damage in my marriage. My family is not taking this matter lightly," he said.

The ACDP’s Youth League spokesman, Maropene Molepo, echoed Sedibane’s sentiments.

"Mthunzini dragged the name of the organisation into the mud.

"We cannot speak on behalf of the judiciary, but we would like the law to take its course. While we don’t necessarily condone what he did, we wish him a fair trial."