'The system has failed survivors'; acquittal of televangelist Timothy Omotoso slated

Witness Cheryl Zondi broke down in court after Timothy Omotoso was found not guilty on all charges.

The controversial religious leader, who was confronted with 32 serious charges, including rape and human trafficking, was acquitted after an eight-year legal battle that the uMkhonto weSizwe Women’s League (MKWL) argues revealed significant flaws in the handling of gender-based violence (GBV) cases.

The MKWL has unleashed a blistering attack on South Africa’s justice system following the acquittal of pastor Timothy Omotoso, describing the verdict as a “violent betrayal” that exemplifies the systemic failure to protect survivors of sexual violence.

The MKWL expressed its outrage and fury at what it calls “not just a miscarriage of justice, but a violent betrayal of every woman and child who ever dared to speak the truth in a courtroom built to silence them.”

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said it will study the judgment and decide which legal options it can explore following the acquittal of Omotoso.

The 66-year-old spent eight years in jail. He was acquitted alongside his co-accused, Lusanda Sulani, 41, and Zikiswa Sitho, 33. 

Reacting to the judgment, NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said that since the arrest of the trio in April 2017, their trial has been protracted with numerous obstacles, including interlocutory applications, which caused a lot of delays in the matter.‘‘The delays caused some witnesses to no longer want to proceed with giving evidence as they indicated they have since moved on with their lives and are not interested in reliving their experiences in court,’’ said Tyali.

The League accuses the justice system and the National Prosecuting Authority of failing survivors by allowing Omotoso to exploit every legal loophole and use delaying tactics that span years, forcing survivors to endure repeated trauma.

“It has taken almost eight years since Omotoso’s arrest in April 2017 for the justice system to come to this disgraceful conclusion,” MKWL stated.“Five mistrial applications, endless delays, and strategic obstruction. And throughout, the survivors were forced to relive their trauma again and again.”The statement paints a grim picture of the toll the legal process took on the survivors.

From an initial 63 charges, many were dropped as witnesses “lost faith, withdrew, or simply could no longer bear the pain.”The MKWL insists this is not an isolated incident; it is part of a pattern of institutional neglect.“We are witnessing an active and ongoing war against women and children, one that is sanctioned by indifference, bureaucracy, and cowardice in high places,” the MKWL said.

With South Africa’s conviction rate for rape and sexual violence below 10% and one in three women expected to experience such violence, the MKWL says enough is enough. The League is now demanding urgent reforms, including specialised GBV courts, tougher legal frameworks, and full accountability from the judiciary.“No more loopholes for predators hiding behind pulpits or legal jargon,” they declared.

Earlier, Judge Irma Schoeman said that the evidence of the defence was not properly tested through a proper cross-examination by the prosecution. Schoeman added that the evidence of the defence was not properly tested through a proper cross-examination by the prosecution.‘‘This matter falls in the category where, in my view, the explanations of the accused are improbable, and I do not subjectively believe them.

However, due to the uncertainty of the actions of the State and the lack of proper cross-examination, I cannot find that the accused’s versions are so improbable they cannot reasonably possibly be true,” she said.

Meanwhile, controversial Prophet Shepherd Bushiri made these remarks after the judgment in the Omotoso trial. ‘‘Today, after eight long, agonising years — years that felt like an endless night —Timothy Omotoso, a Nigerian-born televangelist, has been declared innocent.

''The High Court of South Africa has acquitted him of all 32 charges, which, among others, included rape, sexual assault, money laundering, human trafficking and racketeering. Imagine: thirty-two! These are serious crimes, and how do they just bring them upon a person? Mind you, they only do so to foreigners, not South Africans.

‘‘For eight years, Omotoso was caged like an animal. For eight years, he woke up in a cold cell, staring at the same walls, the same despair, wondering if the world had forgotten him. ‘‘They denied him bail, treated him like a monster, and watched as his life crumbled. His ministry—gone. His businesses — seized.

‘‘His church was burnt by the mob. His dignity—stripped away. Every dream he ever built, every hope he ever held, was left to rot in that prison. And now, he walks out a free man—but into what? A life in ruins. A foreign land that never saw him as human.

“This is not justice. This is torture. And I know this pain too well. Because this is exactly what they wanted for me.

''They wanted me locked away, forgotten, my name dragged through the mud until there was nothing left of me but a ghost. They wanted time to do their dirty work — to break me slowly, to let the years eat away at my spirit until I had no fight left.

''Just like they did to Omotoso. That is why I refuse to go back. That is why I resist extradition to South Africa — because I know what waits for me there. A rigged game. A predetermined fate.

''A cell with my name on it before I even stepped inside.

“Last month, a court in Malawi threw out ten charges against me — fraud, money laundering and racketeering —  which South Africa says wants me to answer. I am surprised no one is talking about this. The court further said the only charges left are rape and bail-jumping — accusations that miraculously appeared only after I left. I was never arrested for them, never charged — not until I sought safety in my homeland. I even requested if the trial could happen from here, and they said, ‘No.

’“So I ask again — what do they really want from me? The answer is written in Omotoso’s suffering. ‘‘They want to see me broken. Sadly, they added my wife to all this pain just to make me feel so much pain.

''What did she do, and what wrong did my child do to be denied access to the hospital by the South African law enforcement until she lost her life?

‘‘They want to watch me and my wife fade away. To be a foreigner in South Africa and to dare to succeed is to paint a target on your back.

''You will be hunted — either gunned down in the streets or locked away until the world forgets your name.

“And to you, my brother Omotoso, I understand you will be deported immediately; please, with tears in my eyes, leave. Leave while you still can; and if there is a window you can use to leave quickly before they deport you, do so.’’