Probe launched into Omotoso’s acquittal

April 10, 2025 69

In a bid to restore public confidence in Mzansi’s judiciary following the unexpected outcome of Nigerian televangelist Timothy Omotoso’s case, Chapter 9 institutions have banded together in pursuit of accountability.

The Cultural, Religious and Linguistic (CRL) Rights Commission, the Commission for Gender Equality and the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) have announced their probe into Omotoso and his co-accused’s acquittal, which sparked public outrage and put the authorities’ sometimes poor handling of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) cases under the spotlight.

Some South Africans also believes that the Omotoso case exposed the corruption that exists within the country’s judicial system, which is largely believed to favour those with money.

Omotoso and his co accused, Lusanda Solani and Zikiswa Sitho, were acquitted of 32 charges that include rape, human trafficking and racketeering in the Eastern Cape High Court, in Qheberha, last week.

The presiding judge in the case, Irma Schoeman, slammed the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for the disappointing and heart-wrenching outcome of the case, which had dragged on for eight years.

Schoeman found that the prosecutors had failed to prove the trio’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt, saying their cross-examination didn’t give a sense of seeking to unveil the truth.

The ruling, which came amid anger over the rape of an Eastern Cape Grade 2 learner last year – Cwecwe – and the handling of her case, lit the flames of brewing frustration among South Africans on the states alleged failure to decisively deal with GBV, which spilled into the two weeks of protests across the country.

The Chapter 9 institutions, who intend to ensure that the systemic failures that led to the court’s decision are unveiled, have labelled the failure to hold Omotoso accountable as a gross violation.

The chairperson of the CRL Commission, Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva, echoed the concerns of many South Africans on how the outcomes of Omotoso’s case could cause people to lose faith in the justice system and silence GBVF victims.

“We will however be prioritising the meeting with the National Prosecuting Authority. The time and place for the inquiry will be announced in due course,” she added.

Mkhwanazi-Xaluva also shared the outcomes of an investigative study they conducted into the commercialisation of religion and the abuse of belief systems between 2015 and 2017.

The scathing findings exposed several factors that have enabled abuse within religious spaces.

The CRL Commission also slammed the NPA’s witness protection programme as a farce, saying it does very little to protect whistleblowers.

One of the pivotal witnesses in the Omotoso case, community activist and whistleblower, Pamela Mabini, who had supported the preacher’s alleged victims, was gunned down on the 7th of March outside her home in KwaZakhele, Gqeberha, just a month before the televangelist’s acquittal.

Chairperson of the Commission Gender Equality, Nthabiseng Seopanya-Mogale, bemoaned the treatment of one of the alleged victims and key witnesses in the matter, Cheryl Zondi.

Zondi could not take the state’s witness protection offer as it would’ve not only disadvantaged her but also changed her life drastically.

Several institutions and individuals are expected to be called to appear before an inquiry within the next few months, including the NPA.

The announcement came on the eve of Women For Change’s march at the official seat of the South African government, the Union Buildings. Written by Nokwazi Qumbisa