Pastor allegedly rapes, impregnates girl (15)

A growing belly led to the arrest of a pastor from the Disciples of Christ Church in Ongwediva who allegedly raped and impregnated a 15-year-old girl.

Although the alleged rape took place on two occasions, it remained under wraps until the girl's changing body eventually prompted her parents to question her. The teen alleged she was expecting the clergyman’s baby. The incident was subsequently reported to the police.

It is alleged that the rapes started in 2023 when it happened once at unknown time and date in the Ongwediva area, Inspector Frieda Shikole of the Oshana community policing sub-division said. The second rape allegedly took place in March at Oshakati.

Raped in car

The suspect, Stefanus Oiva (34), is a pastor at Disciples of Christ Church in Ongwediva, where the victim attends church services. “After church service, choir [practice] finishes a bit late. Last year, the suspect offered the victim a [lift] with the pretence of dropping her at home, but instead drove a different direction, raped her in the car and then dropped her [off] after.

“During March at about 19:00 [on an] unknown date, the suspect offered the victim a [lift] again after choir [practice] and he drove in a different direction, parked his car and raped her in the back seat. Afterwards, he dropped her off at home in Onawa where she used to stay,” Shikole said.

The complainant - the victim’s mother - said she began to notice a change in her daughter’s body as she was showing signs of pregnancy. And after sitting with the girl’s father, they confronted their daughter, who told them that she’d been raped by the pastor on two different occasions.

Perverted pastors

This is the latest in a series of allegations of pastors raping members of their parishes. In March, police in Omusati launched investigations into claims that a Lutheran pastor at Okando village had raped a 15-year-old girl and fathered her baby.

Another pastor - Elikan Neliwa of Have Mercy Mission Ministries - was arrested at Onepandaulo village for allegedly raping three members of his congregation, aged 17, 19 and 24. All of them are learners at a local school.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia last year dismissed Hendrick Shuudeni from his position as a pastor, after he reportedly engaged in a sexual relationship with a young man, whom he promised a job in return for sexual favours.

The police have urged Namibians to take charge of which churches they affiliate themselves with, and to make sure they are “not fly-by-night churches” that take advantage of people’s vulnerabilities.

Oiva was arrested and has already appeared in the Oshakati Magistrate's Court on a charge of rape. His case was postponed to 20 September.

Suffer the children

Social welfare minister Doreen Sioka recently announced in the National Assembly that violence against children is a rights violation, and children need to be protected from such violations.

She said most cases reported to regional social workers are physical and sexual abuse, neglect and child abandonment, with few cases relating to child trafficking. During 2023/2024 reporting period, a high number of cases reported were child neglect (1 173), followed by sexual abuse (928) and physical abuse (526).

The Khomas Region reported a high number of cases of physical abuse (119) and sexual abuse (260), she said. Oshikoto reported 300 cases of neglect, followed by //Karas’ 161 and Hardap’s 159.

“Social workers in all 14 regions attend to cases of violence against children equally. Data collected in response to cases of violence against children are not disaggregated based on tribe or ethnicity, thus the ministry does not have data specifically for children from marginalised communities,” Sioka noted.