The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has lost its appeal against the acquittal of televangelist Timothy Omotoso and his two co-accused, Lusanda Sulani and Zukiswa Sitho.
The trio had faced 32 charges including sexual assault, racketeering and human trafficking before being acquitted in April at the High Court in Gqeberha. Judge Irma Schoeman ruled at the time that the State had failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Delivering the appeal judgment on Friday, Judge Schoeman sharply criticised the prosecution, describing its handling of the matter as “egregious.”
Omotoso was initially arrested in 2017 following allegations brought by two women from his church. After his acquittal earlier this year, he was arrested again in May on immigration-related charges, but later released after a court found that Home Affairs had not followed proper procedures.
He was subsequently deported and barred from re-entering South Africa for five years.