[Image: Peter Nagel / Facebook]
Well, that’s one way to muddy the role of a minister.
A well-known Dutch Reformed Church minister and theology lecturer has been permanently booted from his ministerial role after being accused of sexual misconduct—by his own cousin.
Dr Peter Nagel, a senior lecturer at Stellenbosch University, is now under criminal investigation after his first cousin came forward, accusing him of grooming and sexually abusing her when she was a teenager.
According to News24, the alleged abuse started in 1993 when she was just 14 and he was 18.
She claims he began by showing her pornography and behaving inappropriately, which then escalated over two years. By “escalated,” she means he allegedly shared her sleeping bag, pressed his erection against her, and coerced her into sexual acts—none of which were consensual. This included urging her to masturbate him and sexually gratifying himself while she watched.
‘I didn’t even know what consent was back then,’ she told reporters. ‘There was always this feeling of shame, of being dirty, because it was incestuous.’
Fast forward to 2024, and she finally decided to break the silence. She filed a formal complaint with the church, backing it up with WhatsApp messages from Nagel allegedly sent in March 2023. These messages, filled with sexually explicit content, were seen by the church as an attempt to restart their “relationship.”
The retrieved ‘sexts’ read as follows:
P Nagel: The town is quit (sic) over a weekend and I can show you my office ??
P Nagel: Perfect, I would love to show you STB…and spend some time in my office
P Nagel: You a naughty student who should be punished (sic)
P Nagel: In our case, we have done something in reality…that is what predominately informs my fantasy, it is more real than fantasy
P Nagel: I want to continue were we left of (sic)
At first, Nagel denied everything—until the evidence backed him into a corner. He eventually admitted guilt during the church’s disciplinary hearing, which led to his permanent removal.
Despite fessing up to his recent behaviour, Nagel is still playing innocent when it comes to what happened back in the ‘90s. But the church wasn’t buying it. They called his actions ‘unacceptable, immoral, and contrary to the expectations of a minister’ and kicked him out. Not to mention, he’s a married man with kids.
Not stopping there, the complainant, who now lives in the UK, took things to the police, filing a criminal case in South Africa shortly after the church’s ruling. She made it clear she didn’t want to stay silent and risk him harming anyone else.
“However, even if he has abused only me, that still makes him a paedophile, a sexual deviant, and that is enough. What he did to me from [1993] till early 1995 was a crime.”
She argued that Nagel, as a lecturer, could not be trusted in a position of power.
“Even if the students he teaches are of age, he is someone who takes advantage. He is an abuser and manipulator who should not be in that role.”
Stellenbosch University acknowledged the church’s decision but claimed they hadn’t been officially informed about any criminal charges. A spokesperson assured that they take sexual misconduct allegations ‘very seriously’ and are reviewing the situation.
Meanwhile, Western Cape police confirmed a 45-year-old woman opened a sexual assault case, which is under investigation. As for Nagel? He’s keeping quiet, only saying he’ll ‘address the allegations in the appropriate forum’ after chatting with his legal team.
Looking back on it all, the complainant says Nagel has yet to show any real accountability and “doesn’t seem to fully grasp what he did to me”.
“He said I teased him. If he didn’t know what he did was wrong, then why did he make sure that no one was around when he manipulated and abused me?”
“He doesn’t want to take responsibility, and his apologies felt fake and insincere,” she maintained.
If this wasn’t messy enough, this isn’t the first time he’s stirred up controversy. In 2023, he was suspended from preaching for a year after writing an academic article questioning the divinity of Jesus—something that didn’t sit well with the church.
Although that drama eventually blew over, these latest allegations might just be the final nail in his career’s coffin.
[Source: News24]
