Omotoso and co-accused expected in PE High Court for pre-trial hearing

Controversial Nigerian televangelist and Senior Pastor of the Jesus Dominion International church, Tim Omotoso, is again expected in court, this time before the Port Elizabeth High Court, on Thursday.

Omotoso faces over 60 charges relating to sexual exploitation, racketeering and human trafficking. He is alleged to have sexually abused several young women at his church in Umhlanga, Durban, under the pretext of healing them.

Charges of contravening immigration laws had also been added against him.

The disgraced man of cloth was arrested on the 20th of April 2017 by the Hawks shortly after he landed at the Port Elizabeth International Airport after evading arrest for days when the scandal came out.

At the airport, he had apparently tried to avoid arrest by first lying about his flight's arrival time then hiding in public toilets at the airport when he found armed officers waiting for him.

He later made two attempts to get bail, which failed.

Two women, who are alleged to have been responsible for recruiting and grooming girls for the 59-year-old Pastor, Lusanda Solani (36) and Zukiswa Sitho (28), were also arrested last year. 

Omotoso and his two co-accused are appearing at the Port Elizabeth High Court for a pre-trial conference.

Accused number four, Nobubele Mlindi’s case, was withdrawn due to the fact that her involvement in the matter, is not clear.

All charges have also been centralised while the immigration charges against Omotoso were provisionally withdrawn so that they can be addressed as a separate matter.