Timothy Omotoso, the Nigerian televangelist recently acquitted of multiple charges, will be deported from South Africa.
Timothy Omotoso deportation confirmed by NPA
This announcement comes just a day after the Gqeberha High Court found him and his co-accused not guilty on 32 charges that included rape, human trafficking, and racketeering.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has now confirmed that Omotoso, who has been in South Africa illegally, will be removed from the country and returned to Nigeria.
The 66-year-old was at the centre of a legal battle that dragged on for nearly eight years.
Although the court cleared him and his co-accused Lusanda Sulani and Zukiswa Sitho of all charges, the Department of Home Affairs has stepped in because Omotoso overstayed his legal right to remain in South Africa.
Being found not guilty of criminal charges does not protect him from immigration laws.
According to the NPA, Omotoso’s deportation will proceed in line with standard procedures for individuals without legal residency.
This typically involves placing the person in a holding facility before organising transport out of the country. The process is coordinated by Home Affairs officials and may include cooperation with Nigerian authorities.
What the court ruled in the Omotoso case
Judge Irma Schoeman said that even though she didn’t personally believe the accused’s version of events, the State had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they were guilty.
That means there was not enough solid and convincing evidence to secure a conviction.
She also pointed out that the prosecution failed to properly question the accused during cross-examination, a critical step that allows the court to test how reliable someone’s story is.
Because this wasn’t done effectively, the judge could not say for sure that Omotoso and the others were lying.
In simple terms, the judge thought their stories sounded unlikely, but not impossible — and without stronger proof, the court had to let them go.
A look back at the Omotoso trial
The charges against Omotoso date back to 2017, when several women accused him of running a cult-like church that abused and manipulated young women.
Omotoso led Jesus Dominion International (JDI), which had branches in South Africa, Nigeria, and Israel.
The case included disturbing testimonies from alleged victims who said they were raped and trafficked by Omotoso and his assistants under the guise of church work.
Witnesses described being recruited to stay at the church’s mission house, where they were allegedly isolated and abused.
Despite the serious nature of the allegations, the court dismissed all charges, saying the case was weakened by delays and lack of strong cross-examination.
Now, with the criminal trial concluded, Omotoso will leave South Africa — not as a convicted criminal, but as an undocumented foreign national.
