Bishop John General tells Court he fled naked after an alleged gunpoint extortion attempt

Nundwe, who is on trial for allegedly raping a married congregant, opened his defence before Magistrate Amy Masoja yesterday. The pastor said the incident occurred after he responded to the woman’s invitation to collect a gift she had promised him after allegedly conceiving following his prayers. He told the court the complainant was not a member of his church but had approached him seeking prayers and spiritual assistance at her Matero township residence.

Nundwe testified he travelled to the woman’s house with another pastor and repeatedly asked about her husband’s whereabouts, but was told he would return later. “The woman suggested we begin praying for the house while waiting for her husband. He told the court that he and his companion started praying room by room as requested by the complainant,” Nundwe said.

He told the court events turned dramatic when a man suddenly emerged and ordered him to stop praying. “I heard someone shout ‘stop’. When I turned around, I saw a man pointing a gun at me,” Nundwe testified.

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The bishop said the man accused him of being pompous, threatened to kill him, and ordered him to remove all his clothes including underwear. He said he eventually complied out of fear for his life and was left completely naked while the complainant allegedly assisted in removing his clothing. Nundwe testified he was ordered to sit in the middle of the yard where the pair threatened to release photographs and videos of him if he failed to meet their demands.

“They told me that if I wanted to save my life, I had to give them K1 million, but I told them I did not have that kind of money,” he told Magistrate Masoja. The bishop said he heard an inner voice urging him to run as the pair walked toward a kennel, prompting him to jump over a high wall fence and flee naked through nearby bushland. He told the court he oversees a congregation of about 10,000 members and could not possibly know every person who seeks his prayers. The matter continues.

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