Omotoso could face renewed legal scrutiny.
Nigerian pastor Timothy Omotoso appears at the the Eastern Cape High Court in Gqeberha on on 2 April 2025. Picture: Gallo Images/Die Burger/Lulama Zenzile
The legal battle involving Nigerian televangelist Timothy Omotoso has been revived after the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) successfully obtained leave to appeal his acquittal.
The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) granted the NPA’s application on Wednesday, 15 July 2026,, effectively reopening a case that had previously concluded last year.
Omotoso, along with Lusanda Solani and Zukiswa Sitho, was acquitted of 32 charges in April 2025 after an eight-year legal battle.
These charges included racketeering, human trafficking, rape, and sexual assault.
The trio had stood trial in the Eastern Cape High Court in Gqeberha, where Judge Irma Schoeman presided over the matter.
Following the acquittal, the NPA challenged the outcome in the high court in October 2025, arguing that the judge erred in discharging the three individuals.
SCA grants NPA leave to appeal Timotho Omotso acquittal
Now, the SCA ruled the prosecuting authority’s appeal application against Schoeman’s judgment can proceed in the appellant court.
National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Andy Mothibi has since welcomed the appellant court’s order, which was delivered on 26 June 2026.
“The NPA’s legal prowess have, for the longest time been under scrutiny and this is an opportunity to have the full compliment of the five justices in the SCA to pronounce on the important principles of criminal law and the applicable test,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
“This is a step in the right direction in pursuit justice for the victims of GBVF,” Mothibi added.
Earlier, the NPA explained that the state had petitioned to the SCA following Schoeman’s dismissal of its request for clarification of factual findings regarding her 2 April 2025 judgment and the subsequent bid for reservation of the question of law under Section 319 of the Criminal Procedure (CPA).
According to the institution, the appellate court found the application to be “legally sound”, paving the way for the appeal to be heard, with a date yet to be confirmed.
Omotso extradition
Omotoso left for Nigeria in May 2025 following his arrest over his immigration status in South Africa.
It was previously alleged that his work visa, which expired in August 2017, had been obtained through irregular or fraudulent processes.
As a result, the pastor was subsequently declared a “undesirable person”, with the Department of Home Affairs imposing a five-year ban on his re-entry.
However, this does not prevent the possibility of his extradition to the country.
“The NPA is aware that Mr Omotoso was deported by the Department of Home Affairs, but holds the view that once the SCA rules in the NPA’s favour in the appeal, he can be successfully extradited from Nigeria into South Africa,” the statement concluded.
Allegations
Omotoso faced accusations of grooming and abusing several victims, some reportedly as young as 14.
The state maintained that the alleged offences were not carried out alone, claiming that Sitho and Solani played key roles in recruiting and trafficking young women as part of the operation.
Throughout the legal proceedings, Omotoso had already spent years in custody following his arrest in April 2017 and made repeated attempts to have the case either withdrawn or declared a mistrial, but these efforts did not succeed.
