Latest news with #Molemo
Daily Maverick
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Pastor Timothy Omotoso's lawyers challenge deportation order in urgent court bid
Controversial pastor Timothy Omotoso's legal team has brought an urgent application to review the decision by Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber, declaring him a prohibited person in South Africa. He also made an appearance in the East London Magistrates' Court on Monday afternoon for an inquiry into his deportation. Pastor Timothy Omotoso is fighting to stay in South Africa and did legal battle in both the East London Magistrates' Court and the high court on Monday. Omotoso was leading a 'New Dawn' crusade in East London when he was arrested on Saturday, 10 May, his first church appearance since he was released from custody last month. After spending seven years awaiting trial on charges of sexual assault and the human trafficking of young women in his congregation, Omotoso was acquitted of the charges by Judge Irma Schoeman, who found the State had botched the prosecution by, among other matters, failing to cross-examine properly or lead corroborating evidence. Following his April release from custody, Omotoso appeared in East London, where a branch of his church, Jesus Dominion International, remains open. The Gqeberha-based branch was closed in 2018 after protests by the ANC Women's League and a municipal finding that it violated a by-law. Obed Molemo, a spokesperson for Christians for South Africa, said on Monday that they were concerned Omotoso had been arrested without the correct paperwork. Supported by Omotoso backers who requested anonymity, Molemo said that police commanders at Fleet Street and Cambridge police stations in East London had initially refused to detain Omotoso because they had not received the proper documentation. 'The letter about him being declared a prohibited person came late,' Molemo said. He said the police finally detained him in Mdantsane. 'We feel the attack on Omotoso is personal,' Molemo said. The South African Police Service has not commented on these allegations. Protests and support The proceedings against Omotoso were delayed for hours on Monday while agitated church members, some wearing choir uniforms, sang in support of the pastor. Members of other churches, among them some of the city's prominent clergy, also protested, calling for his immediate deportation. The EFF in the Eastern Cape joined the call for Omotoso to be deported. According to the Scalabrini Centre, a person arrested pending deportation must be brought before the court within 48 hours. Omotoso appeared for an inquiry on Monday afternoon. While the hearing initially took place in chambers, it was later opened to the public. The law further states that a person must then be informed of a deportation decision in writing. In submissions made to the court on Monday, Omotoso's legal team said the letter served on him was identical to one used in 2022 when he was declared a prohibited person. At that time, the grounds were that Omotoso possessed fraudulent documentation. The same reason is now again being used. In 2022, Omotoso was declared a prohibited person by the then Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi. This was after the pastor's internal appeal to Home Affairs officials had been dismissed. The Department of Home Affairs, however, conceded that this decision was open for review. Back then, Omotoso's lawyers argued that a judge, and not Home Affairs officials, should decide whether he was a prohibited person, claiming the department was biased against him. At the time, Omotoso accused Home Affairs of 'forming a united front' with the National Prosecuting Authority. The court disagreed, and the matter was remitted to the current Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber, who reaffirmed the decision to declare Omotoso a prohibited person. It was this decision that was explained to Omotoso in a letter served on him on Saturday, when he was arrested. Omotoso's legal team has now filed an urgent application in the East London High Court seeking to have this decision set aside. He is expected to appear in court again on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the National Prosecuting Authority has not indicated whether it will appeal against Judge Schoeman's ruling. DM
Daily Maverick
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Pastor Timothy Omotoso to fight decision to have him declared a prohibited person
Controversial pastor Timothy Omotoso is likely to take Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber's decision to have him declared a prohibited person on review, a spokesperson for his supporters said on Sunday. Omotoso was arrested at 5am on Saturday at the building on Commercial Street in East London where he had been leading a 'New Dawn' crusade since last Monday. Obed Molemo, spokesperson for Christians of South Africa, which has been supporting Omotoso since his release from prison on 2 April, said they do not believe his arrest was for immigration reasons but to silence his 'prophetic voice'. 'This arrest is not about documentation. It is about silencing a prophetic voice. Rev Omotoso is being targeted not for what he has done, but for what he represents – a rising tide of spiritual authority that threatens the status quo. Like Robert Sobukwe before him, Rev Omotoso is being punished for his thoughts, his faith and the anointing he carries. This is detention by design, intended to humiliate and suppress,' Christians of South Africa said. Molemo confirmed on Sunday that counsel has been appointed for Omotoso. 'The State did bring the immigration issue to the spotlight, right in the infancy of the trial. It was challenged and [Omotoso] won. As it was legally challenged then, so shall it be challenged even now,' Molemo added. Omotoso was previously declared a prohibited person but in 2024 Acting Judge Donovan Pitt set this decision aside and remitted the decision to the department for a new decision. On Saturday the Department of Home Affairs said Schreiber had rejected Omotoso's latest application to have this decision overturned. Omotoso spent seven years in St Albans Prison in Nelson Mandela Bay awaiting trial on human trafficking and sexual assault charges. The court heard allegations that he sexually assaulted several young women who were part of the Jesus Dominion International Church, praying with them afterwards to ask for forgiveness. Omotoso was released from prison on 2 April after he was acquitted on all charges. Judge Irma Schoeman found that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) had botched the prosecution. The NPA is still investigating whether there are grounds to appeal the ruling and recently added another senior counsel to the team reviewing the case. Omotoso was declared a prohibited person by Home Affairs while in prison but went to court citing that the department was biased and working with the NPA. Despite the court order instructing Home Affairs to review its decision, Omotoso was released from prison. Home Affairs officials were originally sent to arrest him at the court but they arrived too late and he had already left. The court adjourned at 11am and they only arrived at 1pm. Omotoso, however, was not in hiding and openly set up the 'New Dawn' Crusade at the Jesus Dominion International Church in East London, where he has been preaching since 4 May. His supporters said that shortly after his release he visited the Nigerian consulate and confirmed that his paperwork was in order. Buffalo City mayor Princess Faku stopped the municipality from renting out the Orient Theatre to him, but the church found a private venue. Pictures emerged on social media last week showing hundreds of people attending the crusade led by Omotoso. On Saturday, National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola confirmed that members of Home Affairs' Immigration Inspectorate and the police – including the highly trained National Intervention Unit and the Tactical Response Team – arrested Omotoso at 5am 'just after church'.
