Bishop Roxley Masevhe granted R 20 000 bail

Rape-accused Bishop Roxley Masevhe has been granted R 20 000 bail after nearly a month in custody. Masevhe was arrested on January 2024 after being accused of raping his 17-year-old stepdaughter.

It is alleged that the ordeal started in January 2023 until the teenager laid charges in January this year.

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Masevhe subsequently handed himself over to police custody. His bail application had been postponed on several occasions ever since.

On Thursday, 1 February, the Popular Gospel Musician was granted bail of R20,000 with conditions by the Thohoyandou Magistrate Court, Limpopo. The case has been postponed to 15 April 2024.

BAIL CONDITIONS AS GRANTED BY THE THOHOYANDOU MAGISTRATE COURT

Amongst the bail conditions is that Masevhe is not allowed to have any contact with the victim or her mother.

He is also not allowed to interfere with witnesses and must report at the Sibasa Correctional Centre every last Friday of the month. Masevhe was further ordered to surrender all travelling documents and is forbidden to apply for new ones.

SUPPORT FOR DISGRACED BISHOP ROXLEY MASEVHE 

Meanwhile, some Bishops from the Vhembe district handed in a memorandum, pledging their support for Masevhe. However, the memorandum has been met with mixed reactions from members of the community who raised concerns as the suspect is facing a serious case.

“We expected the church to lead the fight against the abuse of women and children,” community member Mashudu Mudau told Limpopo Mirror.

“What we read from this is that most of them are involved in this. 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,” added Mudau.