After nearly eight years of legal proceedings, Nigerian televangelist Timothy Omotoso and his two co-accused, Lusanda Sulani and Zikiswa Sitho, have been found not guilty of all charges brought against them.
Timothy Omotoso found not guilty
These included serious accusations such as rape, human trafficking, and racketeering. The verdict was handed down at the Gqeberha High Court on Wednesday.
Judge Irma Schoeman delivered the ruling, stating that although she personally did not believe the accused’s versions of events, the State failed to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.
In legal terms, this means that there wasn’t enough solid and reliable evidence presented by the prosecution to justify a guilty verdict.
The judge said the prosecution did not cross-examine the accused properly.
This step is important in court because it allows lawyers to test whether someone’s version of events holds up when questioned. Because this did not happen the way it should have, the judge ruled that the accused could not be convicted.
In her exact words, Judge Schoeman said:
“When deciding whether the state proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt, this matter falls into the category where in my view the explanations of the accused’s are improbable and I don’t subjectively believe them. However… I cannot find that the accuseds’ version are so improbable that they cannot reasonably possibly be true.”
In other words, she didn’t think their explanations made sense, but also couldn’t say with full certainty that they were lies — and that’s what the law requires before finding someone guilty.
A look back at the Omotoso trial
Timothy Omotoso, 63, is the founder of Jesus Dominion International (JDI), a church with branches in South Africa, Nigeria, and Israel. The South African headquarters was based in Durban. Omotoso and his assistants were arrested in 2017 after multiple women came forward with disturbing allegations.
They claimed they were sexually abused and trafficked under the cover of church operations. The charges included 32 counts of rape, sexual assault, human trafficking, and involvement in a criminal group (racketeering).
During the trial, former church members testified about what they said went on behind closed doors.
One key witness, Thozamile Ngeva, gave his account of practices at the church, which the prosecution believed supported the claims of abuse and manipulation.
The case dragged on due to repeated delays, including legal applications by Omotoso’s defence team that slowed the trial.
Omotoso also claimed he was being unfairly targeted for his religious beliefs and vowed to sue the State for wrongful arrest.
The ruling means that all three accused walk free and cannot be tried again on the same charges.
While the case has now officially ended in court, it remains one of South Africa’s most high-profile and controversial legal battles.
