A Diepsloot pastor manhunt is under way in Gauteng after a four-month-old baby girl was found dead in a shallow grave near the Hennops River on Wednesday, 7 October 2026, following an alleged ritual.
According to Jacaranda FM, the mother told police she went to the Hennops River, near the R511 road, with her pastor and his wife for a cleansing ritual.
She and the couple are reportedly all from Diepsloot. Police say she was allegedly raped and tied up at the river and her baby was taken.
What police say about the Diepsloot pastor manhunt
Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said a multidisciplinary team, including child protection and sexual offences detectives and drone operators, was deployed to find the baby and trace the pastor and his wife.
She described the alleged sequence of events at the river:
“Upon arrival, the pastor’s wife reportedly remained behind with the baby while the pastor and the woman proceeded towards the river. It is alleged that the woman was subsequently raped and tied up.”
Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, Gauteng police spokesperson
Nevhuhulwi said the mother and the couple attended the same church in Diepsloot and knew one another. The baby’s body was found shortly after 19:00 on Wednesday, and police arrested the pastor’s wife.
Nevhuhulwi said of the arrest and the discovery:
“The 24-year-old wife of the pastor was subsequently located and questioned by police. She led investigators to a shallow grave where the baby’s body was found. Police have opened a case of kidnapping, rape and murder. The investigation is under way, while the manhunt for the pastor continues.”
Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, Gauteng police spokesperson
What an eyewitness saw during the Diepsloot pastor manhunt
Eyewitness Reginald Letswalo said the mother was distraught when the group took her into their vehicle and went looking for the couple. He described the moment they saw the pastor’s wife near the road and the call that was made for help from the community and police:
“At this point, where we are standing, is where the pastors wife wanted to cross the street. fortunately, we saw her but she ran away into the bush again. That’s when the whole team from the site came and we tried to search inside [the bush]. We invited the community policing forum in the area and the police.”
Reginald Letswalo, eyewitness
Letswalo also spoke about the relationship between the mother and the pastor’s wife, saying the two women had a good rapport through the church. He said that was why the mother went with them from Diepsloot to the river for the ritual:
“As a church member, there was a good relationship between them and the pastor’s wife. That’s why she had the confidence to come and do those rituals, hence she was taken from Diepsloot and brought this side.”
Reginald Letswalo, eyewitness
What happens next in the Diepsloot pastor manhunt
The Gauteng provincial government said it strongly condemns the kidnapping and death of the baby and the alleged rape of the mother.
The pastor remains at large, and Nevhuhulwi appealed to anyone with information to report it to the nearest police station.
Sources
- Jacaranda FM
- SABC News
- SABC News
- eNCA
- eNCA
- African News Agency
- Briefly News
- Hartbeespoort News
- Gauteng police statement issued on Wednesday, 7 October 2026
