From acquittal to arrest: Televangelist Omotoso detained on immigration charges

In what many deem as a fleeting moment of triumph, the Nigerian controversial televangelist, Timothy Omotoso has been rearrested, weeks after the ink had barely dried on his acquittal papers.
Omotoso was previously acquitted of 32 alleged charges, including rape, racketeering, and human trafficking. However, his freedom was short-lived, as he was rearrested on May 10, 2025, in East London - South Africa.
The rearrest is reportedly due to Omotoso's immigration status. The Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber, rejected his application to overturn his status as a prohibited person, as a result, Omotoso is considered to be in the country illegally and is subject to deportation.
Moreover, he is scheduled to appear in court today, May 12, 2025, on charges of contravening provisions of the Immigration Act.
The National Police Commissioner, Fannie Masemola, confirmed the arrest, stating that it was based on immigration matters.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Lerato Fekisi (@lthipa)
As the story is currently under development, many are left wondering if this could be collateral damage by the South African government for acquitting Omotoso on his 32 alleged charges, while others just want him deported back to his home country.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Lerato Fekisi (@lthipa)

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

28 minutes ago

What to know about debate over protesters and ICE agents wearing masks amid immigration crackdowns

CHICAGO -- President Donald Trump and his allies have repeatedly called for mask-wearing at protests to be banned and for protesters whose faces are covered to be arrested, with the most recent push following demonstrations in Los Angeles over immigration raids. Legal experts told The Associated Press there are a variety of reasons people may want to cover their faces while protesting, including to protect their health, for religious reasons, to avoid government retaliation, to prevent surveillance and doxing, or to protect themselves from tear gas. With legislative action happening across the U.S., they say it's only a matter of time before the issue returns to the courts. Protesters, meanwhile, have voiced anger over footage of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents covering their faces at immigration raids and masked officers at the Los Angeles protests, calling it a double standard. Here are some things to know about the debate over face masks: At least 18 states and Washington, D.C., have laws that restrict masks and other face coverings in some way, said Elly Page, senior legal adviser with the International Center for Not-For-Profit Law. Since October 2023, at least 16 bills have been introduced in eight states and Congress to restrict masks at protests, according to the center. Many of these laws date back to the 1940s and '50s when many states passed anti-mask laws as a response to the Ku Klux Klan, whose members hid their identities while terrorizing victims. Amid protests against the war in Gaza and the Republican president's immigration policies, Page said there have been attempts to revive these rarely used laws to target protesters, sometimes inconsistently. Trump's calls to arrest protesters for wearing masks came as federal agents were seen donning masks while conducting raids in Los Angeles and other U.S. cities. Democratic lawmakers in California have introduced legislation aiming to stop federal agents and local police officers from wearing face masks amid concerns that ICE agents were attempting to hide their identities and avoid accountability for potential misconduct during high-profile immigration raids. The issue also came up at a congressional hearing on June 12, when Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, criticized ICE agents wearing masks during raids, saying: 'Don't wear masks. Identify who you are.' Republican federal officials have maintained that masks protect agents from doxing. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called the California bill 'despicable." Geoffrey Stone, a University of Chicago law professor, said the U.S. Supreme Court has made clear that the right to free speech includes the right to speak out anonymously. But he said how it should apply to protesters wearing masks remains 'an unresolved First Amendment question.' For Stone, that raises a key question: Why should protesters and ICE agents be subject to different rules? 'The government doesn't want them to be targeted because they engaged in their responsibilities as ICE agents,' Stone said. 'But that's the same thing as the argument as to why you want demonstrators to wear masks. They want to wear masks so they can do their 'jobs' of engaging in free speech properly. The same rationale for the officers wearing masks should apply to the protesters.'

Bloomberg

35 minutes ago

• Bloomberg

South Africa's Biggest Political Party Regains Ground, Poll finds

Support for South Africa's biggest political party rebounded after it was forced to scrap plans to raise value-added tax and now stands at 40%, the same as it garnered in last year's elections, while the nation's coalition government enjoys widespread popularity, an opinion poll found. A previous survey showed backing for the African National Congress 'to be trending down from its 2024 election results, especially during the debate around the VAT increase,' but appears to have since recovered, the Social Research Foundation said in its analyst of responses from 1,004 registered voters who were canvassed earlier this month.

News24

an hour ago

• News24

Serial rapist gets 25 more years after victim spots him in hospital

Zakhele Mahlangu tied his victim with a seatbelt, forcibly removed her clothing and raped her multiple times without protection. The case had gone cold until the victim spotted her attacker under heavy prison guard escort at a local hospital and raised the alarm. He was found guilty and sentenced to 25 years in prison for the 2016 rape. A convicted serial rapist already serving multiple sentences has been found guilty of yet another rape after one of his victims recognised him during a routine hospital visit and alerted the police. THE 2016 ATTACK On that fateful Saturday afternoon in May 2016, the victim, then 21 years old, was on her way to a hitchhiking spot along Secunda Road (R546) near Charl Cilliers in Standerton, Mpumalanga, provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane explained in a statement. According to Ndubane, at approximately 2pm, before reaching her destination, she accepted a lift from Zakhele Isaac Mahlangu (44), who was driving a white vehicle and claimed he was headed in the same direction. While en route, he diverted from the main road, claiming he needed to pick up others from a nearby farm. He turned onto a gravel road near a dumping site, crossed a railway line and stopped the vehicle. It is alleged that he moved to the passenger seat, used a hat to cover the victim's nose, and physically assaulted her. The suspect then tied her with a seatbelt, forcibly removed her clothing and raped her multiple times without protection, despite her resistance and cries for help. Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane After the attack, Mahlangu wiped himself and the victim with an old cloth, removed the vehicle's registration plates, and hid them under the driver's seat. He then threw the victim's belongings out of the vehicle and dumped her in an isolated area. The victim managed to contact emergency services and was referred to Standerton Police Station for investigation and medical examination. THE COLD CASE BREAKTHROUGH The case went cold until late last year when the victim encountered Mahlangu under heavy prison guard escort at a local hospital. She immediately recognised him and reported to the police that he was the man who had attacked her. Ndubane said: In a dramatic twist, the victim, who had not seen her attacker since the incident, recognised him years later while he was under the escort of prison wardens at a local hospital. She further explained that the police swiftly investigated the matter, and the suspect was positively linked to the crime, formally charged and brought to trial. SENTENCING On 20 June 2025, the Standerton Magistrates' Court sentenced him to 25 years' imprisonment for the 2016 rape. This sentence will run concurrently with multiple other terms he is already serving for a string of violent crimes. PREVIOUS CONVICTIONS In August 2021, the same offender was convicted and handed down multiple sentences for a series of crimes committed during his reign of terror in Standerton between 2014 and 2017. Rape Convictions: Three counts: Life imprisonment each Five counts: 15 years each One count: 25 years The acting provincial police commissioner, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi, has welcomed the conviction and the recent sentencing of the serial rapist.