Pastor gets 12-yr-old stepdaughter pregnant

A pastor who has been on the run after he reportedly raped and impregnated his 12-year-old stepdaughter has been arrested at his hideout in Beitbridge, Matabeleland South Province.

The 41-year-old man of the cloth whose name is held for ethical reasons is from Victoria Falls in Matabeleland North Province and was staying with his wife and the 12-year-old stepchild.

A source close to investigations said the man allegedly started sexually attacking the minor in January this year and turned her into a sex slave. The man would attack her whenever his wife had gone somewhere. The source further said the man would issue death threats to her whenever he was about to sexually attack her.

"The pastor would place the knife under the pillow when he was about to sexually attack her on his matrimonial bed. After every sexual attack, he would threaten to stab her to death if ever she disclosed the ordeal to anyone," said the source.

The alleged rape ordeal came to light when the minor started to vomit and suffered stomach cramps.

"Her concerned mother rushed her to the hospital where she was medically examined and pregnancy tests were done. It was discovered that she was two months pregnant. She quizzed her about who impregnated her. The girl revealed that she was raped by her stepdad on several occasions," said the source.

On 26 May, the mother of the minor confronted her husband over the matter, and on the same day, he deserted his home and went into hiding.

After a week, he allegedly sent his wife a string of WhatsApp audio messages confessing that he sexually attacked his stepdaughter, said the source. He also issued an apology, claiming demons pushed him to commit the crime.

"He sent his wife a string of WhatsApp messages begging her to accept his apology. He laid the blame on evil spirits claiming they pushed him to commit the crime," said the source.

His wife reported the incident to the police. In the messages to his wife, he claimed he had crossed the border to Zambia to "cool off", promising to come back and hand over himself to the police.

However, detectives swooped on him on Tuesday in Beitbridge, about 755 km away, leading to suspicion that he wanted to flee to South Africa. Matabeleland North Provincial Police Spokesperson Inspector Glory Banda confirmed the incident.

"Whenever a child is sexually violated parents or guardians should not resort to kangaroo courts or sweep the rape ordeal under the carpet in a bid to protect the alleged offender. But they should emulate what the mother of the victim did and report the case to the police," said Insp Banda.