Kidnapped businessman rescued, wanted Mozambican kidnapper fatally wounded

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KEMPTON PARK - The South African Police Service (SAPS) Anti-Kidnapping Task Team has safely reunited an Indian businessman with his family following a shootout with an alleged mastermind behind the businessman’s kidnapping. The businessman was found in Alexandra in a shack shortly after midnight on Thursday, 04 September 2025. His rescue follows a shooting in which the alleged mastermind behind his kidnapping was shot and killed during confrontation with police officers near the R21 in Kempton Park on Wednesday evening. The suspect who goes by the nickname “Dollarman” is a wanted kidnapping kingpin in both SA and in Mozambique. He is on SERNIC which is Mozambique’s wanted persons database where he was a wanted for several kidnapping for ransoms cases. In SA he was also linked to at least five kidnapping for ransom cases as well as other cases of housebreaking, carjacking and possession of unlicensed firearms. From July 2021 to date more than 337 kidnappers have been arrest...

Televangelist Timothy Omotoso and his two co-accused found not guilty after eight years


GQEBERHA - Televangelist Timothy Omotoso (63) and his two co-accused, Lusanda Sulani (41) and Zikiswa Sitho (33),  have been found not guilty on all the 32 charges the state indicted them on. 
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has noted the judgment of the High Court of South Africa, Eastern Cape Division, Gqeberha.

Delivering the judgment, Judge Irma Schoeman found that trio was not guilty due to the technicality, mainly that the former prosecutors in the case acted improperly and the accused were not sufficiently cross-examined by the state. It is for that reason that the prosecuting team will study the judgement and decide which legal avenues to explore. 

Since the arrest of the trio in April 2017, their trial has been protracted with numerous obstacles including interlocutory applications by the accused that even included Constitutional Court challenges. The most recent applications were for five special entries for a mistrial and an application made on 16 January 2024, where the defence made an application for the judge to reconsider her previous judgment on the application for discharge according to Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which were successfully opposed by the state. 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. That has led to the reduction of the charges from 63. 

"In as much as the NPA does not seek to secure conviction at all costs, it remains committed to ensuring justice is served for the victims of crime and will go at all lengths to give a voice to the victims by exploring all the possible avenues," said Luxolo Tyali, the NPA Regional Spokesperson.

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