Department of Home Affairs Declares Tim Omotoso an Illegal Resident, EFF Weighs In on Arrest

• The Department of Home Affairs officially declared that Pastor Timothy Omotoso is in the country illegally
• The televangelist was arrested in the early hours of 10 May 2024 for contravening the Immigration Act
• Home Affairs said Minister Leon Schreiber rejected Omotoso's application, which sought to overturn the Department's decision to declare him illegal in the country, and the Economic Freedom Fighters weighed in

With nine years’ experience, Tebogo Mokwena, a current affairs writer for Briefly News, provided insights into the criminal justice system, crime statistics and high-profile cases in South Africa at Daily Sun.

EAST LONDON, EASTERN CAPE — Hours after televangelist Tim Omotoso was arrested on 10 May 2025, the Department of Home Affairs declared him an illegal resident in the country.

Home Affairs declares Omotoso an illegal resident

According to IOL, the Department released a statement and confirmed that Omotoso was arrested following an operation. The statement added that Home Affairs Minister Leon Scheiber rejected Omotoso's application to overturn an earlier decision the department made to declare him an illegal resident of the country.

Omotoso's status means that he may be deported from South Africa. Home Affairs' declaration came a month after he was acquitted of rape, kidnapping and sexual abuse charges. The South African Police Service's national commissioner confirmed his arrest and said that he would appear in court on 12 May.

EFF weighs in

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) posted on its @EFFSouthAfrica X account that the arrest was a significant development in the fight for justice. The Red Berets wrote a letter to the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services on 10 April, requesting that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) be called to account for Omotoso's prosecution. The NPA is expected to appear before the committee on 16 May.

In the EFF's letter to the Portfolio Committee, the party noted that the prosecutors could not cross examine Omotoso meaningfully. The prosecutor was also accused of creating a WhatsApp group for the witnesses to coach them, which was a violation of the law.

Read the X letter here:

South Africans discuss

Netizens commenting on IOL's Facebook post were furious that he was allowed to walk free in the first place. Some slammed the NPA.

Lisa Webb said:

"There are over 30 charges against him, and he gets off. This makes me sick, and the way he smiles about it while the young girls who suffered are kicked to the curb feels like something is very wrong here."

Gideon Seremani said:

"After a failed prosecution, now they divert our attention to his illegality. Now they want to clear everything through a deportation. What a joke."

Renyjane Sesh said:

"We knew they would do this. You want to tell me all this time no one checked his documents? It's another way of him running away."

Belinda Vader Were said:

"But he was jailed for eight years. His visa expired while he was in jail."

Cawi Beeff Shata said:

"This is how they are sweeping it under the carpet. Declare him an illegal immigrant, arrest him, deport him, and soon people would forget about it."

NPA under fire after Omotoso acquitted

In a related article, Briefly News reported that the NPA faced scrutiny after Omotoso was acquitted of all of his charges. He was set free after the State failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Judge Irma Schoeman said the state could not provide evidence for some of the most crucial aspects of the case. She also slammed Advocate Ntelwa and accused him of jeopardising the case. She was particularly displeased and accused Ntelwa of not knowing the definition of rape.

Source: Briefly News