A Nigerian televangelist, Timothy Omotoso, recently acquitted multiple rape accusations, was again arrested for offenses in immigration legislation, the South African police announced on Saturday.
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The man had been acquitted and released in April, eight years after being imprisoned for rape and sexual assault on several young women in his church.
Immigration authorities and the police once again arrested him in the city of East London, “just after mass,” a police official, Fannie Masemola, told the press. “He will be accused of violations of the Immigration Act and will appear before the court on Monday,” she said.
Pasteur of the Jesus Dominion International church (JDI), based in South Africa, was arrested in 2017 for 32 counts, including rape, sexual exploitation and deals with human beings.
In April, judge of the High Court of Cap-Oriental, Irma Schoeman, criticized the management of the case by the accusation, claiming that the State had not proven beyond all reasonable doubt the merits of its accusations against Omotoso and two assistants, also charged.
More than 42,500 rapes were reported between 2023 and 2024 in South Africa, according to police statistics, or more than 116 rapes per day.
