Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police has welcomed the arrest of televangelical pastor, Tim Omotoso, by the Hawks in Port Elizabeth.
The controversial pastor, who faces charges related to human trafficking, was arrested at the Port Elizabeth airport on Thursday by the Hawks and members of the SAPS Tactical Response Team.
He was whisked away to the Hawks regional offices as his lawyers brought an urgent application Thursday evening to get access to their client.
Omotoso is due to appear in court on Friday.
In a statement Thursday evening, Portfolio Committee on Police “commended today’s swift arrests by the South African Police Service (SAPS) and Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI/Hawks) in cases involving the armed robbery that took place at the Khayelitsha Military Base in Cape Town; as well as the Durban-based Nigerian pastor, Timothy Omotoso, who has been accused of human trafficking and sexually assaulting young girls.”
Committee chairperson, Francois Beukman, said “the speed with which the police and Hawks moved in apprehending the alleged perpetrators of these serious crimes is commendable. We hope this will send out a strong message that the country does not take kindly to any form of crime,” Beukman said.
Beukman once again called on community members to continue assisting police in the fight against crime by informing their nearest police station of any criminal activities taking place in their respective neighborhoods.
