'JUSTICE SYSTEM FAILS SURVIVORS'

Outrage erupts as controversial pastor is acquitted after eight-year legal battle, highlighting systemic failures in addressing gender-based violence

- SINENHLANHLA MASILELA and WENDY DONDOLO

WITNESS Cheryl Zondi broke down in court after Timothy Omotoso was found not guilty on all charges.

The controversial religious leader, who was confronted with 32 serious charges, including rape and human trafficking, was acquitted after an eight-year legal battle that the uMkhonto weSizwe Women's League (MKWL) argues revealed significant flaws in the handling of gender-based violence (GBV) cases.

The MKWL has unleashed a blistering attack on South Africa's justice system following the acquittal of pastor Timothy Omotoso, describing the verdict as a "violent betrayal" that exemplifies the systemic failure to protect survivors of sexual violence.

The MKWL expressed its outrage and fury at what it calls "not just a miscarriage of justice, but a violent betrayal of every woman and child who ever dared to speak the truth in a courtroom built to silence them." The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said it will study the judgment and decide which legal options it can explore following the acquittal of Omotoso.

The 66-year-old spent eight years in jail. He was acquitted alongside his co-accused, Lusanda Sulani, 41, and Zikiswa Sitho, 33. Reacting to the judgment, NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said since the arrest of the trio in April 2017, their trial has been protracted with numerous obstacles, including interlocutory applications, which caused a lot of delays in the matter.

"The delays caused some witnesses to no longer want to proceed with giving evidence as they indicated they have since moved on with their lives and are not interested in reliving their experiences in court," said Tyali.

The League accuses the justice system and the National Prosecuting Authority of failing survivors by allowing Omotoso to exploit every legal loophole and delaying tactics that spanned years, and forced survivors to endure repeated trauma.