Court rejects televangelist Omotoso’s latest bid to have evidence deemed inadmissible
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The trio, Omotoso, 63, Lusanda Sulani, 41, and Zikiswa Sitho, 33, argued that the evidence was obtained unconstitutionally.
On Wednesday, the High Court of South Africa, sitting in Gqeberha, upheld the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) position, allowing the evidence to be considered in the trial.
The trio are facing 32 charges, which include racketeering, trafficking in persons for sexual purposes, rape, and sexual assault.
Omotoso, a Nigerian national, was arrested in April 2017.
The NPA said the trial has experienced numerous delays which included applications by the televangelist for five special entries for a mistrial, “including an application made on January 16, 2024, where the defence made an application for the judge to reconsider her previous judgment on the application for discharge, according to Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act,” said Eastern Cape NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali.
The NPA said these 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.
“That has led to the reduction of the charges from 63.”
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