PORT ELIZABETH – A Nigerian pastor charged with human trafficking and sexual assault was found to have been living in South Africa “illegally” after it was discovered that at least one of his permits were “issued fraudulently”, it emerged in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

Testifying in the pastor’s bail application, senior immigration officer, Ivan Klaasen, said that he had also discovered that the pastor had six passports, and not four as the the court was previously told.

Klaasen said that he had conducted investigations on the department’s movement control system which picked up that the pastor had travelled in and out of South Africa three times during the year 2000 without a relevant visa.

“He was issued with a temporary residence not a visa, as per the regulations a Nigerian national must be in possession of a visa, so there is a contravention of the Act here. He was not allowed to enter South Africa without a visa, he was issued a single entry only and came into South Africa without a relevant visa,” said Klaasen adding that he had no idea how this could happen at various ports of entry.

Read: ‘I am having suicidal thoughts’: Nigerian pastor

Klaasen told the court that government printers indicated to him that the pastor’s temporary residence permit was dispatched in Port Elizabeth. He said on May 20, 2000, a request for eight permits were made including a temporary residence permit — all of which he said were issued the same day.

He said a permit issued by a former home affairs official in Port Elizabeth, was fraudulent, making the televangelist eligible for deportation.

“When a person is issued with a fraudulent permit that person becomes illegal and all permits issued thereafter become null and void,” said Klaasen.

The prosecution wanted to know if the Department of Home Affairs were able to identify officers who issued the permits fraudulently.

“One officer in Port Elizabeth has been identified, others seem not to work for the department anymore,” said Klaasen.

Defence advocate Alfonso Hattingh, told the court that the pastor had “lost” one of his passports, adding that the televangelist did nothing wrong in the way in which he went about obtaining legality in South Africa.

Social Development MEC Nancy Sihlwayi attended court proceedings on Friday, with members of the African National Congress Women’s League.

Speaking to the media outside court, Sihlwayi said that she was there to support the victims.

“This process is showing us about an apartheid that is coming back to this country, where our people are undermined and humiliated — by some of those who are perceived as church people. As government we are tasked by the premier of the Eastern Cape to give support to the victims while we are clear that the process of justice should take its course,” she said.

The pastor, who is based in Durban, is alleged to have trafficked more than 30 girls and women who were from various branches of his church countrywide. He allegedly took the girls to a house in Umhlanga, in KwaZulu Natal, where he sexually exploited them.

Read: Nigerian pastor in the dock on human trafficking charges

According to the testimony before court, senior members of the church would recruit “vulnerable” girls between 13 and 15 and lure them into performing sexual acts with the pastor. Following a foiled attempt to effect an arrest in Bloemfontein over the Easter weekend, the televangelist was arrested by the Hawks on April 20, at the Port Elizabeth airport and has been in custody ever since.

By way of affidavit, the pastor has denied allegations of sex with naked girls.

The 58-year-old father is facing 22 counts of human trafficking and sexual assault.

The bail hearing was postponed until May 23.

African News Agency

Colesberg – The African National Congress has criticised Northern Cape premier Sylvia Lucas for her urgent cabinet reshuffle which it said betrayed the party’s trust.

“The ANC notes with disbelief actions of the Northern Cape Premier to reshuffle her cabinet without any consultation with the ANC,” spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said on Thursday.

It was a flagrant abuse of her office that would divide the ANC, he said.

Lucas changed her executive on Wednesday, on the eve of the provincial elective conference this weekend.

Lucas is contesting the post of provincial ANC chairperson against secretary Zamani Saul, who is expected to win. Lucas is Northern Cape ANC treasurer.

‘Unbridled arrogance’

The reshuffle was seen as a purge of Saul supporters in the provincial cabinet.

Saul described the changes as an “ambush” and said they would summon her to a meeting. He said Lucas had neither consulted them nor the alliance partners about her decision.

Kodwa warned that ANC deployees should not abuse their positions to deepen divisions.

“Her unbridled arrogance is a betrayal of trust with the ANC – the organisation that deployed her as premier,” Kodwa said.

Fired finance MEC, Mac Jack said the reshuffle was an attempt by Lucas to intimidate Saul supporters.

“This thing has been coming since November 2016, when people saw that there are people thinking differently as far as the conference is concerned and it was part of opposing groups’ strategy to intimidate us with reshuffling,” Jack said.

He was confident Saul would win. He said he took solace in the fact that his sacking did not come from the ANC.

Jack would not comment on allegations that Lucas consulted President Jacob Zuma ahead of the reshuffle. He said Lucas’ faction knew they did not have enough numbers to ensure she was elected chairperson.

Consolidating support

Lucas supporters had accused Saul of manipulating branch nomination meetings and audits, and cloning members. Their attempts to again postpone the conference failed after ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe gave it the go-ahead.

The event was seen as part of consolidating support ahead of the ANC elective conference in December.

Saul had said ANC’s history had shown that the deputy president took over from the president. This had been seen as an expression of support for Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Lucas had the support of the ANC Women’s and Youth league and was expected to back Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

Meanwhile, by late afternoon on Thursday, the conference was yet to start. Officials blamed the accreditation process. Security was tight and there were at least four checkpoints before entering the Colesberg Sports complex.  

The delegates that arrived included Saul supporters demanding new leaders. Several cars had the signs #Zamdash, for Zamani Saul and Dash Nxanga. Nxanga had been nominated for the position of ANC provincial secretary.

WATCH:

RUSTENBURG – Lonmin on Thursday said it was forced to halt production and incur the loss of millions of rands at some of its mining shafts as employees were allegedly threatened and intimidated by protesting Bapo ba Mogale community members.

The protesters are demanding jobs from the miner.

Violence escalated after members of the Bapo ba Mogale community launched a protest last Tuesday. Since then there has been damage to property, including a workers’ bus, and intimidation of employees at and around Lonmin’s Marikana operations in North West.

READ: Wildcat strike halts Marikana operations

The Bapo ba Mogale community are demanding the creation of 1,000 permanent jobs and 500 cadet placements at Lonmin for its members. The community owns the land on which Lonmin and other platinum miners operate.

Lonmin spokeswoman, Wendy Tlou, said Lonmin had halted production at E2 and E3 shafts near Bapong since May 2 to protect workers.

“Yes, I can confirm that E2 and E3 shafts have not been productive since the protest began. We are committed to finding a lasting and financially viable solution with the community because the situation is not even productive for ordinary people not working for us,” Tlou said.

“The estimated financial loss from the general manager for those two shafts is that we’ve lost R40-million in seven days.”

Tlou said he world’s third-biggest platinum producer had agreed to withdraw a high court interdict against the community if they refrained from engaging in the protest action, but those pleas fell on deaf ears.

“These demands are not realistic in the current economic climate and cannot be acceded to without threatening the sustainability of the business,” Tlou said.

“Lonmin has recently undergone a restructuring, in close consultation with its recognised union, and significantly reduced its workforce as a result. It simply cannot absorb additional employees at this stage.”

Tlou said Lonmin was also committed to engaging with its contractors to review local employment opportunities and job application processes, and to improve the accessibility and value of the existing Resource Centre, as requested.

The Bapo ba Mogale community has an equity interest in Lonmin and the miner has signed procurement contracts with the community.

In terms of this agreement, Bapo ba Mogale have been granted the opportunity to participate in procurement opportunities worth approximately R1.65-billion over the next five years.

The Bapotrans contract, which sees the Bapo ba Mogale running and managing Lonmin’s passenger transport buses, is worth approximately R800-million over eight years.

The Bapo ba Mogale were not immediately available for comment.

Tlou said ongoing protests undermined the value of the indirect and direct benefits that accrue to the community.

“Lonmin remains committed to seeking a peaceful resolution to the delegation’s demands through ongoing engagement, but stresses that it is operating in an economically challenging environment and cannot take expedient, but harmful short-term decisions that would have a negative impact on the sustainability of the business,” she said.

Lonmin Reponse to Protests by eNCA.com on Scribd

African News Agency

• Editor’s note: If you have trouble viewing the livestream, please click here.

CAPE TOWN – The State Social Security Agency (Sassa) will provide an update to Parliament on the social grant issue.

So far, Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini has not attended any of the briefings.

Consideration of the Strategic Plan and the budget vote will also take place.

READ: Dlamini a no-show at grant meeting

In 2012, Sassa contracted Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) to distribute 17 million social grants to 10 million beneficiaries.

The Constitutional Court declared that contract invalid.

The court extended Sassa’s contract with CPS for one year.

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