Zondi received shocking anonymous threats before testifying
In the weeks leading to her testimony, Cheryl Zondi was told that "God would kill her" if she didn't back down.
Cheryl Zondi, who testified in the Port Elizabeth High Court about her alleged rape by Nigerian pastor Timothy Omotoso, 17 October 2018. Picture: ANA
The woman whose testimony against Pastor Tim Omotoso saw the country rallying around her, may be even braver than we initially thought.
The Sunday Times reports that she received several anonymous threats in the weeks leading up to the trial.
“She was threatened that God will kill her because she goes against a man of God, and things along those lines,” said chairperson of the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL commission) Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva.
“We realise that the support for the accused is very strong,” Mkhwanazi-Xaluva continued.
Nigerian pastor and televangelist Omotoso faces 63 main charges and 34 alternative counts which include human trafficking, rape, sexual assault, racketeering, and conspiracy in aiding another person to commit sexual assault.
READ MORE: ‘Overwhelmed’ Zondi’s thank you letter
His two alleged henchwomen, Lusanda Sulani and Zukiswa Sitho, are accused of recruiting girls from all over the country for purposes of sexual exploitation.
During her testimony Zondi gave the court details of her alleged rape at the hands of Omotoso. According to the 22-year-old student, when she was just 14 years old the pastor called her to his room and told her to get into his bed.
Instructing her to remove her doek as it “made her look old”, Omotoso then proceeded with the assault. Zondi was a virgin.
Zondi’s alleged sexual assault continued over weekends and at church gatherings across the country. Details of how the pastor ejaculated on her body and asked her to clean up emerged as Zondi testified.
She said the only time she would catch a break was when she was menstruating.
It was reported on Saturday that Zondi has issued a statement thanking everyone for their support.
A letter surfaced on social media where Cheryl Zondi said she was overwhelmed by the amount of support she received.
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