Case of Timothy Omotoso, co-accused set for closing arguments in January

'Remarkable' progress made in last three days after eight years of delays: NPA

The case of rape and human trafficking against televangelist Timothy Omotoso and co-accused Lusanda Sulani and Zikiswa Sitho was postponed on Wednesday until January 22 for closing arguments. 

The high court in Gqeberha postponed the matter after all the accused had taken the stand, led by their attorney, and were cross-examined by the state this week. 

“The progress made in the past three days the case sat is remarkable because it had been marred by delays for almost eight years since the arrest of the trio,” said the National Prosecuting Authority's Luxolo Tyali.  

He said there were applications by Omotoso, 63, for five special entries for a mistrial.

The numerous delays in the trial since the arrest of the Nigerian national, Omotoso, in April 2017 caused some witnesses to no longer want to proceed with giving evidence. They indicated they had since moved on with their lives and were not interested in reliving their experiences in court. That led to the reduction of the charges from 63.

Omotoso, who was denied bail while the two South African women he is charged with are out on bail, is now facing 32 counts, including racketeering, trafficking in people, rape and sexual assault.

It is alleged that Omotoso, who was addressed as “the man of God”, was the leader of the Jesus Dominion International (JDI) church, and his co-accused were his assistants. JDI had major branches in South Africa, Nigeria and Israel, with Durban being its headquarters in the country. 

Tyali said the complainants were either congregants, employees or people selected to take part in the activities of the church when they were recruited under the pretext that they would benefit spiritually or improve their lives.

Omotoso allegedly, directly or indirectly, through his co-accused, paid and arranged for the complainants to travel to his hotel in Durban, Israel or Nigeria. However, once the complainants arrived, Omotoso or his assistants would inform them of house rules which included that their cellphones be switched off, there was to be no contact with male companions and they had to abide by Omotoso's instructions. 

The complainants and other female church members were allegedly kept in one room where they also slept. Omotoso would allegedly select one of the complainants to go to his private bedroom, where he raped or sexually assaulted them.

“The state remains committed to ensuring that this case is finalised as soon as possible so that justice is served for the victims,” Tyali said.

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