Judgement in the case against televangelist Timothy Omotso and his two co-accused is expected to take place in April.
The matter has dragged on for several years due to a number of delays, including some witnesses no longer wanting to testify as they had moved on with their lives and did not want to re-live their ordeals, finally wrapped up in the High Court of South Africa, Eastern Cape Division, Gqeberha, this week. This turn of events reduced the number of charges from the initial 63.
Omotoso and his co-accused Lusanda Sulani and Zikiswa Sitho were arrested in April 2017 and face charges of racketeering, trafficking in persons, rape, and sexual assault.
Omotoso, a Nigerian national, remained in custody while Sulani and Sitho were granted bail.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said court postponed the matter after the state and the defence submitted their heads of argument.
"It follows a decision on previous 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," explained NPA spokesperson in the Eastern Cape, Luxolo Tyali.
Omotoso, addressed as "the man of God" lead the Jesus Dominion International (JDI) Church with Sulani and Sitho in South Africa, Nigeria and Israel. The church's headquarters were in Durban.
The complainants in the case claimed that they were chosen to take part in church activity under the pretext that they would benefit spiritually or improve the quality of their lives.
"Omotoso allegedly paid and arranged for the complainants to travel to his hotel in Durban, Israel or Nigeria and would give them house rules which included switching their phones off, not talking to men and follow his instructions. He would then allegedly select one of the complainants to his private room where he raped or sexually assaulted them," Tyali said.
"The state remains committed to ensuring that this case is finalised as soon as possible so that justice is served for the victims, and believes that even on this case it has presented enough evidence to for the accused persons to be found guilty," Tyali added.
Judge Irma Schoeman is expected to hand down judgment on April 2.