The Burgersfort Regional Court has sentenced 49-year-old Daniel Masinga, a prominent traditional healer, to eight years in prison for rape. The ruling was made on Monday, June 15, 2026.
The court learned that on June 4, 2020, a 38-year-old woman visited Masinga at his home in Mooihoek after he had contacted her, claiming he could provide traditional medicine for her illness. Upon her arrival, she encountered four men drinking alcohol at the location. Masinga then gave her a mixture to drink, after which she began to feel dizzy and disoriented.
Exploiting her vulnerable condition, he offered her a place to rest. When she regained consciousness, she found herself naked and being sexually assaulted by Masinga, who allegedly threatened her with a gun and continued to rape her throughout the night.
The next day, the victim managed to escape and sought help from a passer-by. She reported the incident to the police, and a rape case was filed at Driekop SAPS on June 8, 2020.
The investigation was assigned to the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit in Burgersfort. Thanks to the thorough investigation led by Sergeant Letsatsi Mojalefa, enough evidence was collected to secure Masinga’s conviction and sentence.
Although he had been released on bail in 2020, a warrant for his arrest was issued after he failed to appear in court and went into hiding. He was re-arrested in December 2025 and remained in custody until his sentencing.
