The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has welcomed the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) ruling granting it leave to appeal the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court judgment that acquitted Nigerian televangelist Timothy Omotoso and his two co-accused.
The trio were acquitted of 32 charges, including rape, racketeering and human trafficking, in April 2025.
NPA spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago described the SCA ruling as a step in the right direction towards securing justice for victims of gender-based violence, following numerous attempts to challenge the judgment.
“Before this legal route was explored, our legal team sought clarification of factual findings from Judge Irma Schoeman before requesting the reservation of a question of law in line with the relevant case law. Judge Schoeman dismissed this request, followed by another dismissal of the application for the reservation of a question of law in terms of Section 319 of the Criminal Procedure Act (CPA). The State then petitioned the SCA, which has now granted the NPA leave to appeal,” Kganyago explained.
He added that the NPA is confident Omotoso can be successfully extradited to South Africa after he was deported in May 2025 and barred from re-entering the country for five years for violating South Africa’s immigration laws.
The National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Advocate Andy Mothibi, commended the work of the legal team involved in the matter and pledged his continued support to ensure the appeal is successfully pursued.
