THE wife of rape and quadruple murder accused Pastor Nkosingiphile Allan Zwane has publicly apologised to the nation for her husband’s actions.
The woman, whose identity will not be revealed for ethical reasons, said she had no clue that Zwane could be engaged in criminal activities.
Zwane, a pastor of the Apostolic Faith Church International and community police, was arrested for allegedly raping and killing four women, whose bodies were retrieved from a water canal at Mfabantfu.
She said her husband was his normal self, save for that he was no longer as conversing as he would normally engage with the family.
“Of late he would sit as if he was deep in thought,” she said.
She mentioned that on Sunday she started noticing that Zwane was not in his usual jovial mood.
“He appeared to be a bit down, even though I did not read much into this. I dismissed my observation because a person’s mood is not always the same,” she said.
She said over the months she also noticed that her husband was gradually losing weight, something she assumed could have resulted from the fact that he was out of a job.
Describing her husband to some journalists who paid her a visit at her home, the wife said he was a member of the community police.
“He was a sociable member of the community and would respond when asked to assist. Sometimes he would step out in the evenings to attend to some community work and often returned in the middle of the night,” she said.
The wife said she would understand if community members and people felt uncomfortable in their midst.
“I understand that this is a sensitive situation we have landed in, especially to have been done by a person who has the title of a pastor,” she said.
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“I would like to extend my apologies to all the families of the deceased. Also, I apologise to the people and community.”
The woman said her husband was still human and disposed to any forms of attacks. She said this was not meant to justify what he has been accused of.
She went on to plead with the public not to persecute Zwane’s mother because she was in no way involved in the crimes he allegedly committed.
She explained that Zwane would not always access the church keys through his mother, but he sometimes just took them since they were accessible to anyone who wanted to utilise the church, even people who were not members of the family.
Meanwhile, the pastor’s mother said she had been emotionally unsettled in the days leading up to her son’s arrest, describing what she called an unexplained heaviness whenever she went to church.
She said she attended church every morning, but recently found herself burdened by a feeling she could not understand or explain.
“I would wake up and go to church as usual, but I started feeling something heavy in my spirit,” she said. “I did not know what it meant. I just felt weighed down.”
The mother said her son would occasionally come to her and collect keys for the church, adding that she never suspected anything unusual about his movements.
“He would come and take the church keys. I assumed he was going to pray or attend to church matters,” she said. “I never thought anything else was happening.”
She said she only learnt of the allegations after her son’s arrest, adding that she had been left devastated and confused by the reports circulating in the public.
Despite growing public scrutiny and suggestions from some community members that she might be aware of or shielding her son, she maintained that she knew nothing about the alleged offences.
“People are talking, and some are saying I knew or I am covering for him. But I know nothing,” she said.
She said she was holding onto her faith during what she described as the most painful period of her life.
“I trust God,” she said. “He is the one who knows the truth. I believe the truth will come out.”
