A creepy nudist church trapped its members indoors and ordered them to strip off in front of children.
The bizarre practices of a religious group in Rustenburg, South Africa are set to be laid bare in court as arrested church-goers have been summoned to the dock.
Even police officers arriving at the house-turned church were told to get naked before entering to investigate claims of strange activity, including members being forced to share a massive bucket for a toilet.
The church leader's husband hopes the trial of six people charged with sexual offences, will confirm whether his wife was running a 'Satanist cult or performing witchcraft'.
At the end of last month, neighbours of the church in the Sondela section of Boitekong township, called the police who arrested six adults aged between 19 and 83, for being naked in the company of 11 children.
The 34-year-old leader confiscated and burnt her congregation's mobile phones, bank cards and shoes to free them from the evils of the world, two alleged victims claim.
After a few days, a pair ran from the church and raised the alarm of what was happening inside the unassuming building's walls.
Police responded to the concerns and handcuffed suspects who they found laying naked on the floor.
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One member, 38, of the church says she went with her sick husband on May 29 who was told to stop taking his medication and to “lay bare and wait for the coming of the Lord”.
She said: “The church leader called us and when we arrived, the first thing she asked us to do was to take off our clothes and lie down on the ground and we did without asking questions.
“This was unusual because we have never done this before.
“Our usual practice was to meet up at 6pm every day, pray and share the word of God, but we did [what she asked of us] anyway.
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“Now my husband can hardly open his eyes. He was taken to hospital and has been discharged. I thought I needed to pray harder,” she said.
Another church member who sprinted from the house before police arrived, said congregants had been held in the house for days and were given one 20-litre bucket to share as a toilet.
“We all urinated and helped ourselves there.”
On her arrival at the brightly painted RDP house on June 3, the 37-year-old found that her husband and children had been at the church for a week.
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She said: “When I got to the house to ask what was going on, I found everyone naked, including my husband and children.
“I was not given an answer and I was also told to get naked.
“I found that my husband who works at the mine had been made to quit his job and that my children had been kept from school.
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“When I asked why I should undress, the church leader took me to her bedroom and told me to take off all my clothes and give her my underwear, which I did. I was not in my right senses when I agreed. I suddenly regained strength and ran out of the house.”
The leader also faces sexual offence and child abuse charges.
The church leader’s husband who lives in Burgersfort, Limpopo, said he was shocked to discover what his wife had been up to.
He said: “I want answers, is it a Satanist cult or is it witchcraft? We have been married for 16 years and now I have to consider restructuring my life because of her decisions.”
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