By Ebi Kesiena
A South African court has acquitted Nigerian televangelist Tim Omotoso of all 32 charges of rape, sexual exploitation, and human trafficking, eight years after he was jailed on accusations of assaulting young women from his church.
Delivering the judgment at the Eastern Cape High Court, Judge Irma Schoeman criticised the prosecution for mishandling the case, stating that the state failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. The ruling also cleared two of Omotoso’s assistants who were facing related charges.
Omotoso, 66, who leads the Jesus Dominion International (JDI) church in South Africa, was arrested in 2017. He fell to his knees in apparent prayer as the court pronounced him not guilty. The judge noted that while the pastor’s explanations seemed improbable, inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case were significant.
Some of the women who testified against Omotoso claimed they were handpicked by the pastor and subjected to abuse under the guise of spiritual guidance. Members of a gospel girl band he established, Grace Galaxy, and young schoolgirls were among the alleged victims.
The verdict sparked outrage in Gqeberha, where dozens of women protested outside the court. The ruling comes amid growing concerns over sexual violence in South Africa, where police statistics revealed 42,500 reported rape cases in the 2023–24 financial year.
The acquittal has ignited debates over justice for survivors of sexual violence, with critics arguing that flawed prosecutions fail victims.
