We spoke our truth: Timothy Omotoso rape trial witnesses speak out

The pained and soft voice of Sarah Mofokeng fills the boardroom of Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities' (CRL Rights Commission) boardroom in Braamfontein as she reads a note to pastor Timothy Omotoso.

Mofokeng, who attended the press briefing on Thursday at the commission, is among the witnesses who testified in the trial of the acquitted Nigerian televangelist.

Six of the 11 women who were witnesses attended the Thursday briefing. 

“Timothy, you [allegedly] violated our bodies, our trust, our safety and our peace,” read the note from the witnesses directed to the leader of the Jesus Dominion International Church.

She continued that Omotoso might think he had gotten away, but he had not, because they were still seeking the truth. 

“We carry the pain every day, but we also carry the strength. This is not our story of being hurt, it is also our story of surviving. You don’t get to silence us. We [are] still not afraid to seek, and no matter what the system has decided, we know what happened, so do you.”

The women hoped one day Omotoso would be held accountable by law, his conscience and by “whatever life brings your way”. 

Mofokeng said Omotoso left them carrying the weight of “something” they did not ask for, something they never deserved and “you walked away like nothing happened”. 

Omotoso and his co-accused, Lusanda Sulani and Zukiswa Sitho who were facing charges including rape, sexual assault and human trafficking, were acquitted by Gqeberha high court judge Irma Schoeman this month. 

In her ruling, Schoeman said the state had failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

One of the witnesses, Cheryl Zondi, said there were many warnings from the church and warned other would-be victims to look out for those “red flags” from churches that glorified pastors as if they were above God. 

“There was a lot of indoctrination in the church, we didn't realise that we were being indoctrinated or brainwashed into thinking the same thing, saying the same thing,” she said. 

She added that the same videos of testimonies of miracles would be played at the church repeatedly, almost weekly at every single service, to reinforce that “this person performs miracles, this is what he can do, and we were given strict instructions on how to pray.”

“So already just from the church building, we were used to following his instructions — doing what he says and how many times he says to do it, we do it.

“Those are the red flags because I think any Christian knows that there is always a new testimony we don't have to rehearse the same thing over and over again to make it relevant. 

“The main thing that was being glorified in that church was him, not God. I think that was also a major red flag. If we mentioned God it had to be god of him.” 

Penny Lerato Msibi read a message on behalf of all the survivors, marking a defiant response to the court’s decision to acquit Omotoso of all charges.

The women opened their collective statement by declaring themselves not as victims, but as survivors. 

“We are sitting here today as survivors, once victimised by the world and defined by what happened to us. We once broke the silence, and we will not stop using our voices.” 

Though visibly disappointed, the group made it clear that they remain steadfast in their truth and their decision to speak out.

The survivors strongly criticised the handling of the case by the justice system, pointing to flaws in the prosecution and the long delays that plagued the proceedings. 

“We can’t shy away from the fact that the system has let us down. It has failed us. The outcome of this case could have been different if our prosecution handled the matter better.” 

The women highlighted the personal cost of speaking out. They spoke of public scrutiny, ongoing trauma, and the fear that has only intensified now that the accused walks free. 

“Our lives have never been the same ... We feel threatened, worse now because our faces are seen and visible to whoever is seeing this. But we are not ashamed.” 

Despite the outcome, the survivors took pride in what they had achieved in the past eight years. 

“We are walking with pride because we have kept him away for eight years, and in that we have saved a lot of young girls, women, young boys and men from his horrendous behaviours.” 

They believe their testimonies helped liberate members of the church from what they described as oppressive and manipulative control. The group said they still have many unanswered questions and called for a proper investigation. 

“This is our truth, and it is very unfortunate that we have to continue our lives with no justice, our perpetrator is free, and life continues. We did our best.” 

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