Timothy Omotoso trial to resume in Port Elizabeth High Court

The trial of Nigerian pastor Timothy Omotoso and his co-accused is expected to start in the Port Elizabeth high court on Monday morning.

Omotoso, 60, and his co-accused, Lusanda Sulani, 36, and Zukiswa Sitho, 28, who face 63 main and 34 alternative charges ranging from sexual assault to rape and human trafficking, are expected to finally have their day in court after their failed Constitutional Court bid to dismiss a ruling allowing the entire trial to be heard in the Port Elizabeth court.

State prosecutor Nceba Ntelwa in January told high court judge Irma Schoeman that the state was ready to continue with the trial after the ConCourt decision. 

The trio had approached the ConCourt in November to appeal the decision by the Supreme Court of Appeal, which dismissed their application to have an earlier ruling made by Schoeman overturned.

The ConCourt made its ruling to dismiss the application on January 6, after it found there were no reasonable prospects of success.

Schoeman postponed the matter to February 24.

She ordered it would run until the end of the court’s first term and, if not finalised by then, it would continue into the second term.

The trial starts from scratch after previous judge Mandela Makaula recused himself in March 2019 when it came to light that state witnesses had been accommodated at a guest house belonging to his wife. 

Makaula’s wife is the sole director of the close corporation which runs the guest house.

“I must place it on record that I am not involved [in my wife’s business] either as a director or shareholder,” Makaula said at the time.