Pastor Timothy Omotoso to fight decision to have him declared a prohibited person

Controversial pastor Timothy Omotoso is likely to take Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber’s decision to have him declared a prohibited person on review, a spokesperson for his supporters said on Sunday. 

Omotoso was arrested at 5am on Saturday at the building on Commercial Street in East London where he had been leading a “New Dawn” crusade since last Monday. 

Obed Molemo, spokesperson for Christians of South Africa, which has been supporting Omotoso since his release from prison on 2 April, said they do not believe his arrest was for immigration reasons but to silence his “prophetic voice”. 

“This arrest is not about documentation. It is about silencing a prophetic voice. Rev Omotoso is being targeted not for what he has done, but for what he represents – a rising tide of spiritual authority that threatens the status quo. Like Robert Sobukwe before him, Rev Omotoso is being punished for his thoughts, his faith and the anointing he carries. This is detention by design, intended to humiliate and suppress,” Christians of South Africa said. 

Molemo confirmed on Sunday that counsel has been appointed for Omotoso.

“The State did bring the immigration issue to the spotlight, right in the infancy of the trial. It was challenged and [Omotoso] won. As it was legally challenged then, so shall it be challenged even now,” Molemo added.

Omotoso was previously declared a prohibited person but in 2024 Acting Judge Donovan Pitt set this decision aside and remitted the decision to the department for a new decision.

On Saturday the Department of Home Affairs said Schreiber had rejected Omotoso’s latest application to have this decision overturned.

Omotoso spent seven years in St Albans Prison in Nelson Mandela Bay awaiting trial on human trafficking and sexual assault charges. 

Read more: Controversial pastor Timothy Omotoso arrested on immigration charges in East London

The court heard allegations that he sexually assaulted several young women who were part of the Jesus Dominion International Church, praying with them afterwards to ask for forgiveness. Omotoso was released from prison on 2 April after he was acquitted on all charges. Judge Irma Schoeman found that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) had botched the prosecution. 

The NPA is still investigating whether there are grounds to appeal the ruling and recently added another senior counsel to the team reviewing the case.

Omotoso was declared a prohibited person by Home Affairs while in prison but went to court citing that the department was biased and working with the NPA.

Despite the court order instructing Home Affairs to review its decision, Omotoso was released from prison. Home Affairs officials were originally sent to arrest him at the court but they arrived too late and he had already left. The court adjourned at 11am and they only arrived at 1pm. 

Omotoso, however, was not in hiding and openly set up the “New Dawn” Crusade at the Jesus Dominion International Church in East London, where he has been preaching since 4 May. His supporters said that shortly after his release he visited the Nigerian consulate and confirmed that his paperwork was in order.

Buffalo City mayor Princess Faku stopped the municipality from renting out the Orient Theatre to him, but the church found a private venue. Pictures emerged on social media last week showing hundreds of people attending the crusade led by Omotoso.

On Saturday, National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola confirmed that members of Home Affairs’ Immigration Inspectorate and the police – including the highly trained National Intervention Unit and the Tactical Response Team – arrested Omotoso at 5am “just after church”.

He is expected to appear in court on Monday. DM