The head of the United Nations entity for Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka has expressed shock at the revelations being made in the rape trial of Nigerian Pastor Timothy Omotoso currently under way in Port Elizabeth.
The former South African deputy president also expressed her solidarity with the bravery displayed by the alleged victims in court while being cross-examined by Omotoso’s lawyer.
She’s also questioned the support that continues to be shown for the accused.
She says it is quite sad that women and young girls can have such a horrible experience in a place of worship.
She says: “The fact that it continued for such a long time and the pastor, the other pastors and the people around him did not blow the whistle – these girls now have scars. I take my hat off to them for their resilience, for their willingness to stand up and to tell the story. However, I’m still quite disturbed that even with everything that has been revealed, this pastor still has support.”
“You really wonder what has gone wrong with our people, but I’m glad that there is a lot of support for the girls from the SA public. We need to commit ourselves to making sure that something like this doesn’t happen again.”
