Pastor, Wife, and Son Appear in Court for Brutal Attack on Alleged Thief

A pastor, his wife, and their son have appeared in the Emalahleni Magistrates’ Court facing serious charges after allegedly cutting off a man’s hands. The disturbing incident took place in KwaGuqa, a township near Emalahleni, South Africa. The victim, 30-year-old Dumisani Mahlangu, claims his hands were severed after being accused of stealing scrap metal and electrical wires from a local church.

Mahlangu, who survived the horrific ordeal, says he will never forgive Pastor Solomon Mhlanga for the attack. The accused pastor runs Soteria Ministries International, where the alleged theft took place. According to reports, Mahlangu was caught in March stealing from the church premises. Instead of reporting the matter to the police, the pastor and his family allegedly took the law into their own hands.

According to Sowetan Live, Pastor Mhlanga, his wife Poppy, and their son Enoch are facing charges of kidnapping and attempted murder. The court heard that after catching Mahlangu, the family abducted him and, with the help of three unknown accomplices, carried out the brutal act. Mahlangu claims he was forced into the back of the pastor’s van and driven to a secluded location. There, he says, his hands were hacked off in a terrifying act of vigilante justice.

During the court appearance, it was revealed that Pastor Mhlanga and his son Enoch were granted bail, while Poppy was released with a warning. The case, however, has sparked outrage in the community. Some residents are calling for the church to be burned down as revenge for the inhumane treatment of Mahlangu. Mpumezo Gawe, a neighbor who lives near the church, shared that many people were angry and suggested setting the church ablaze. “What he did was not good; he should not have taken matters into his own hands,” Gawe said.

Further allegations of violence against the church have also surfaced. An anonymous source revealed that this was not the first time the pastor and his followers attacked someone accused of theft. The source claimed that in a previous incident, church members beat a man, stripped him naked, tied him to a pole, and smashed his fingers with a hammer. “They pointed a gun at him, assaulted him, and even threatened to cut off his fingers before driving away with him,” the witness recalled.

In his defense, Pastor Mhlanga expressed that the entire situation has been traumatic for his family. He also claimed that the community had threatened to burn down the church following the attack. “This whole thing has been traumatizing to my family,” the pastor told the court.

The case was postponed and is scheduled to resume on August 5 for a regional court hearing. Meanwhile, Mahlangu remains bitter and unforgiving. “I have not forgiven him, I will not forgive him, and I will die having not forgiven him,” he declared.

The shocking incident has left the community divided, with some supporting the victim and others believing he deserved the punishment for allegedly stealing from the church. The case continues to attract widespread attention across South Africa.