A priest accused of raping a 9-year-old girl died in hospital after bleeding from a wound caused by the girl’s father who tracked him down, beat him, and partially severed his penis from his body.
Preacher Mase Malgas, 66, died after being attacked on September 30 by the girl’s father, a South African courtroom was told yesterday.
Constable Lundi Nqwelo was called as a witness by the state prosecutors and testified that the defendant had been told by his ex-wife that their 9-year-old daughter had been raped, and that Mr Malgas, a local priest, was the perpetrator.
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The defendant, his ex-wife and a friend of the couple then tracked down Mr Malgas, who was based at St Philips Church in Gompo, and burst into his home intent on revenge, the court heard.
Nqwelo said the accused, who cannot be named as it would also reveal his 9-year-old daughter’s identity, then “severely beat Mr Malgas” and began chopping off his penis.
He angry father did not complete the castration, but left the man with “grievous” wounds, the East London court heard.
The trio then escorted him, by now very low on blood and in a life-threatening condition, to the Scenery Park Police Station, where they hoped he would be arrested.
East London police officers immediately called for medical assistance, but Mr Malgas continued bleeding out and was later found dead in a hospital bed.
It has not yet been established whether Mr Malgas was the perpetrator, but medical reports confirmed that the defendant’s daughter had been raped, Nqwelo said.
MailOnline reports: The accused was denied bail and sent to a cell yesterday ahead of the resumption of his trial, in a case which has split the East London community and sparked an emotional debate on vigilante justice, The South African reported.
The courts are waiting on DNA evidence which will prove pivotal in the case. If the preacher is found to be guilty, as is widely expected in the community, the father’s case will be strengthened.
East London bail magistrate Joel Caesar said the suspect was denied bail because the court cannot sanction vigilante justice, although he expressed sympathy with the daughter.
The trial will resume at a later date.
