Vhembe bishops pledge support for disgraced Bishop Masevhe

Court C at the Thohoyandou Magistrate’s Court was filled to capacity on Tuesday, 30 January, when Bishop Roxley Masevhe appeared again to hear whether he would be granted bail or not. Masevhe stands accused of raping his 17-year-old stepdaughter. The ordeal is said to have taken place from January 2023 until January 2024, when Masevhe was arrested.

The support Masevhe commands was evident during his appearance on Tuesday by the prominent presence of fellow bishops, some in full church regalia, and many of his church members in their white shirts. Not to be left out were non-governmental organisations, as well as organisations that advocate against gender-based violence, who came to support the family of the victim.

During Masevhe’s appearance, the bishops handed in a memorandum, pledging their support for the accused bishop and urging the court to release him on bail as they feel he is not a flight risk. The bail application took most of the day, with the investigating officer, W/O Khorommbi Tshiguvho, being cross-examined by Masevhe’s defence. Tshiguvho did not dispute most of the exceptional circumstances that painted Masevhe as a suitable candidate for bail. The application was postponed to 1 February for closing arguments. His bail application has already been postponed on several occasions.

The bishops’ memorandum raised deep concerns in the community. One of the community members, Mr Mashudu Mudau, who also attended the court hearing, said seeing the church support a suspect in such a serious case was disappointing. “We expected the church to lead the fight against the abuse of women and children. What we read from this is that most of them are involved in this, and that is the reason why they are not even shy to publicly pledge their support. They are conflicted in this and should have just taken a neutral stand, rather than supporting a suspect accused of raping a minor. They are putting the church in a very compromising situation,” he said.

Ms Thelma Marole of the Vhembe Combined Group, who has been a constant figure during appearances, said they were happy about the way things are unfolding in court. “We are here to support the family of the victim. We are here not to say the bishop is guilty, but to see to it that the case proceeds smoothly and that justice be served,” she said.

Date:02 February 2024

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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