Witness, Cheryl Zondi breaks down as court acquits Nigerian pastor Timothy Omotoso on all charges of rape and human trafficking (video)

Cheryl Zondi, a key witness in the case against Nigerian pastor, Timothy Omotoso, was overcome with emotion in court after he was found not guilty of r3pe and human trafficking.  

The High Court in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, South Africa had acquitted the 66-year-old pastor and his co-accused, Lusanda Sulani and Zikiswa Sitho, on Wednesday, April 2, 2025.  

The trio faced 32 counts of charges which included racketeering, trafficking in persons, r3pe and s3xual assault.

The ruling, which has shocked many, left Zondi visibly distressed as she reacted to the verdict. 

In 2018 Zondi, who claimed she was sexually assaulted by pastor Omotoso, waived her right to anonymity in the trial because she wanted the world to know the type of person he is. 

“We took it upon ourselves to go through a humiliating process to have our dignity stripped from us in public, to be called names and have lies and all sorts of fabrications spread about us online, walking in the streets. Our lives have never been the same since we came out about this and one has to wonder if this is what the last years have come down to,” she said.