The son of Pastor Godfrey Kudita of Word Impact Ministries is accused of raping a 14-year-old relative several times in South Africa last year, in a case that has divided the family and remains unreported to police, H-Metro has reported.
Godfrey Kudita Junior, 34, also known as Nana, is accused of using alcohol and drugs to make the teenager drunk before showing her sexually explicit material and assaulting her on a number of occasions. Relatives say he then gave her emergency contraceptive pills after the alleged attacks.
The allegations emerged after the teenager disclosed the abuse to a relative. The disclosure led to a series of meetings involving members of both immediate families and the wider family network. Some of those meetings were recorded, and relatives have retained audio recordings in which Junior appears to accept that his conduct was wrong and asks the teenager’s brother for forgiveness.
The alleged abuse is said to have taken place while the girl’s parents were in India for six months undergoing medical procedures. During that period, Junior was staying at the family’s home in South Africa, where he was studying computer-related subjects. Relatives say the girl’s parents had entrusted him with helping to look after their children while they were away.
According to family members, that responsibility gave Junior access to the teenager and created an environment in which the alleged assaults could take place without her parents being present. The allegations have since triggered bitter arguments among relatives, with some family members demanding that the matter be reported and others becoming involved in attempts to manage the crisis within the family.
One of the most disturbing elements of the account concerns the alleged repeated use of emergency contraception. Relatives say Junior obtained morning-after pills from a pharmacist after the alleged assaults. They say the pharmacist became concerned about the frequency of the purchases and told him that the person taking the pills should attend the pharmacy so that she could be warned about the possible effects.
“At some point, the pharmacist told him that he should know that these pills had the potential of damaging the health of the woman who was taking them. He told him it was important for him to know that there were long-term and short-term risks of taking these pills in such quantities and told him that the next trip he should bring the person who was taking the pills so that the pharmacist would explain to her the risks involved.
“When the crime was finally exposed, a family member of the teenager went to see the same pharmacist and showed him Junior’s photo, as they were discussing the issue related to these pills, and he positively identified him as his client and talked about his concerns.”
Medical guidance distinguishes between emergency contraception used after unprotected sex or sexual assault and repeated use as a substitute for regular contraception. The World Health Organisation says emergency contraceptive pills are intended to prevent pregnancy after intercourse and can be used following sexual assault. It also says repeated use may lead to more side effects, including menstrual irregularities, although the pills do not harm future fertility. In the case described by relatives, however, the central allegation is that the medication was allegedly used by an adult to conceal repeated sexual attacks on a child.
Relatives also accuse Junior of hacking the mobile phone of the teenager’s aunt, who was helping to care for the children while the girl’s parents were abroad. The alleged purpose of the hacking was to monitor communications between the aunt and the teenager’s parents and to find out whether the girl had disclosed anything about the attacks.
The teenager’s father and Junior’s father, Apostle Godfrey Kudita, are brothers. This would mean that the girl is Junior’s sister, in African context. The girl also previously stayed at Pastor Kudita’s home in Harare for two years while she was in Grade 6 and Grade 7, deepening the family’s links and the sense of betrayal surrounding the allegations.
The recordings made during family discussions provide a glimpse into the anger that followed the disclosure. In one phone call, Junior is heard asking the teenager’s brother to accept his apology.
“I can’t justify anything. I’m saying I know you are angry and you’ve got a lot to say. I’m just calling to say if I said anything offensive yesterday, I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me. I’m not trying to do any reverse psychology. Ndakama**** Maxwell, Ndakama***a and ndiri kuzviziva. I’m sorry if I said anything offensive yesterday. I’m very sorry,” he is heard saying.
The teenager’s brother responds by referring to money he had been sending Junior and alleging that it was used to buy morning-after pills for his younger sister. The exchange captures the fury within the family and the extent to which the alleged abuse had become linked to financial support, trust and the responsibilities placed on relatives caring for children.
Apostle Kudita, a Christian broadcaster and minister who hosts inspirational and faith-based programmes on Power FM Zimbabwe, also addressed the dispute in a recorded message. His broadcasts include a breakfast inspiration segment and an evening programme focused on spiritual discernment, family and Christian teaching on one of Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation’s (ZBC) radio stations. His public work has frequently centred on family life, marriage, destiny and spiritual guidance.
“My position regarding this issue has always been the same,” he says in the recording.
“We’re all devastated and this has never been taken lightly but, at the end of the day, the bottom line is that every decision and the next move belongs to you. If there is collateral damage from whichever decision you take on the ministry, He who began the work is the one who knows what to do with (it). It’s something that we cannot do anything about but if it appeases you to take the next move in whatever decision you take, we will always understand where you’re coming from.”
He added:
“At the end of the day, it’s your prerogative, if it goes a long way to fulfilling your objectives of appeasement, we will respect that. We are in solidarity with your position and we will not be able to take any position with regards to your next move because we are conflicted. As much as we love Nana, and he also remains our son, we will not get involved. You do not need any permission from us to do whatever you want to do. You can proceed in whatever direction the Lord leads you to. We will always understand and if it gives you peace and, maybe, settlement and closure of this issue, whatever direction it will take, it will always be respected. God bless you.”
The family’s internal meetings have delayed efforts by some relatives to report the case, despite the allegations having surfaced last year. Those who want police involvement are said to be frustrated by the discussions, while others have remained focused on family decisions and possible consequences for the ministry.
The case unfolds against a wider child-protection problem in South Africa, where official crime data has shown that rape remains one of the most frequently reported serious offences involving children aged 17 and under. Published figures for 2015/16 to 2019/20 recorded an increase in reported child rape cases over that period, while girls were more likely than boys to be recorded as victims of rape and sexual assault.
Child-protection organisations have also warned that violence in the home or in the care of trusted adults can be especially damaging because it undermines the very relationships children depend on for safety. In this case, the allegations concern a relative who was given responsibility for children while their parents were away, making the family’s dispute about more than one individual’s conduct. It has also raised questions among relatives about who knew what, when the disclosure was made and why the matter has not yet reached the police.
For now, the family remains divided, the recordings remain central to the account given by relatives, and the alleged victim’s story has become the focus of a dispute that has stretched across two countries and into the religious ministry led by her uncle. The allegations involve repeated abuse, alleged attempts to monitor communications and the alleged use of emergency contraception after the attacks. The absence of a police report has left relatives arguing over the next step while the teenager and her family continue to live with the consequences of the disclosure.
The teenager’s identity has been withheld, in keeping with the need to protect children involved in sexual-abuse cases.