A well-known East London pastor charged with sexually assaulting 12 children cut a frail figure in the dock as he finally made his first court appearance on Tuesday.
The pastor, who cannot be named as he has yet to plead to the charges, was in the intensive care unit at Frere Hospital for two weeks, but was discharged on Tuesday morning.
According to his lawyer, he suffered three heart attacks since December, the last of which was on April 19 – a day after his arrest.
On his release from hospital, the pastor appeared in the East London magistrate’s court.
The pastor, who stopped to catch his breath with every step he took, asked to remain seated in the dock after complaining of dizziness.
When proceedings got underway, prosecutor Khaya Makwakwa said the state opposed granting the pastor bail.
“These are 12 counts of sexual assault, all involving minors.
“We will summarise the case and send it to the director of public prosecutions in Grahamstown and await his decision. The cases date back to 2018,” Makwakwa said.
Magistrate Rochelle Sam granted the pastor’s defence team permission to make a formal bail application, but the state said this could only happen on May 10 as the investigating officer was not available until then.
This infuriated the pastor’s lawyer, Elias Makhanya, who said he would not be held liable for the pastor’s health should anything happen to him while in custody.
“I want to put it on record that the accused was arrested on April 18 in front of his children.
“On the 19th he suffered a heart attack while at the police cells in Fleet Street. There were two other heart attacks in December, so this was a continuation of those. He has also developed a skin problem.”
Makhanya said the pastor, who founded a well-known ministry in the East London CBD, stepped down from his church in December when investigations first began.
He had not been at the church since.
“To postpone from today until the 10th is a deliberate attempt to keep him in jail.”
Bail magistrate Linda Magaxeni ordered that the pastor be kept in the hospital section of West Bank prison until his next appearance.
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