NPA is trying to duck responsibility for botched Omotoso case: Expert

July 22, 2025 78

Legal and Governance Analyst, Leo Maphosa, believes the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is trying to reframe their failure in Omotoso’s matter.

This after the NPA revealed that it will approach the Supreme Court of Appeal, after the Eastern Cape High Court in Gqeberha dismissed their application for clarification of factual findings in the judgement, that acquitted Nigerian televangelist Timothy Omotoso of all charges.

In May, the NPA brought an application before the same court, asking Judge Irma Schoeman to clarify her judgment.

Omotoso and his two co-accused were acquitted of all 32 charges, including rape and human trafficking in April, effectively walking free after an eight-year-long legal battle.

The ruling sparked national outrage, with many South Africans criticizing the justice system, for failing victims of Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

Speaking to Ynews, Maphosa says the NPA should know that “you don’t fix a botched case by rewriting the ending, you fix it by getting the beginning right.”

Maphosa, says the latest defeat is also a quiet indictment on the prosecutorial process that has unfolded thus far.

Legal expert, Sheldon Magardie, says the latest setback in the NPA’s Omotoso matter is not surprising.

Some social media users have slammed the NPA following the courts outcomes.

The Omotoso case has been plagued by a serious miscarriage of justice from the start. The NPA’s attempt to appeal Judge Irma Schoeman’s judgment was again rejected by the court on July 22, 2025. It’s clear that the state’s goal wasn’t to seek justice, #YouBelong

— DesmondTruth (@truth_desmond) July 22, 2025