By Jonk wa Mashamba
& Tshepo dot Mosima (Alex FM
news@alexreporter.co.za

Bishop Bambanani Moyo, 38, pleaded guilty to raping his biological daughter.

He was sentenced today at Alexandra Magistrate’s Court for raping her for a year when she was 17

Between January 2021 and January 2022, the man of God committed the unthinkable act of undressing his daughter.

The state said that the only time he would be a father to her was when his daughter was on her period.

The girl was called by her Zimbabwean father to take care of her aunt’s newborn baby.

When her aunt did not treat her well, her father asked her to stay with him.
Moyo instructed her to sleep in the same bed as him on the first night.

He inquired if she was a virgin and she replied yes. On the other hand, his aunt would ask her if she had a boyfriend because at her age, girls have boyfriends nowadays.

After asking her if she was a virgin or not, he would then tell her that he wanted to check if indeed she was a virgin.

He inserted his fingers into her vagina and later inserted his penis inside her vagina without a condom.

Occasionally, the daughter would sleep on the floor while her father slept with her stepmother in bed.

He lowered himself to the ground and raped her in front of her stepmother. However, the stepmother testified that she did not see or hear anything.

After her aunt noticed that she was pregnant, she was able to reveal the news but they were skeptical of her. On the flip side, her father was forcing her to accuse any boy from Soweto of being the father of the baby.

The uncle, after hearing the news, helped her to open a case in Alexandra police station in 2022 where the bishop and the girl stayed.

The prosecutor Percy Ramushu and magistrate Hannellie Banks both believed that the girl was vulnerable. Ramushu referred to rape acts and judges’ descriptions of rape.

According to him, Moyo raped the girl more than twice and displayed no remorse.

The defense lawyer claimed that his client had raped his daughter twice.

Ramushu then said there was no other sentence suitable for Moyo than life imprisonment.

Hannellie Banks, the magistrate, stated that she attempted to find any evidence of remorse in Moyo’s case, but was unsuccessful in her efforts.

Banks, one more time, said the girl was rejected by the third person. At first, it was her biological father, secondly her stepmother and the officer of the law, she said.

The girl, who cannot be named, gave birth 5 months ago.The newborn baby, who is the son and also the grandson of pastor Moyo will grow up without his biological father.

The sentencing was welcomed by the EFF and Alexandra Brigades with warm hands. Their support has been consistent since the beginning.

Sizakele Nkosi, who was previously MEC for Community Safety in Gauteng and founded Bombanani Shelter For Abused Women in Alexandra, expressed her satisfaction with the sentence.

“Today our Shelter celebrates the outcome of the court case against a man who raped his daughter and impregnated her. We were forced to arrange adoption for the child because the 18 year victims could not even managed to hold her.

“The father ( biological) pleaded guilty and he was sentenced to life imprisonment. Thank you to the investigating officer who did a very good investigation on this case working with Bombani Shelter For Abused Women,” said Nkosi.