After months of alleged sexual abuse at the hands of rape and human trafficking accused Timothy Omotoso, Hlubikazi Faleni was ousted from his Durban mission house because she refused to continue with the “appointments”.
According to Faleni, 26, during the alleged encounters Omotoso would instruct her to massage his feet or privates and force to perform sexual acts on him.
Faleni, the state’s sixth witness, told Port Elizabeth High Court judge Irma Schoeman she had no qualms with testifying in an open court as proceedings got under way on Thursday morning.
She told the court that after she joined Omotoso’s Jesus Dominion International (JDI) church in 2009, she was recruited to be part of his Grace Galaxy singing group after auditioning in 2013.
Following her audition, Faleni said Omotoso called her into his office at his Durban branch of the JDI where he suggested that she move into his Ridge Road, Umhlanga Rocks mission home where she could rehearse and practise along with the other members of Grace Galaxy.
While still attending high school in East London at the time, Faleni said she would be flown to Durban every weekend and over school holidays to stay at the mission house, with about 25 other young women.
By December 2013, Faleni had moved permanently to Durban after Omotoso promised her he would pay for her schooling.
According to Faleni, Omotoso told her that he did not want to be a father figure to her and said he could help her if she was his girlfriend.
She then left the room and spoke to a woman only identified as Fezeka, who told her she must obey Omotoso’s wishes.
She then went back to the room and was instructed by Omotoso to lock the bedroom door, lie on the bed and take her pyjama pants off, which she did.
He then allegedly got on top of her and simulated sexual intercourse with her.
Faleni said after that incident days went by and nothing further happened.
After returning to Durban from a trip home for the holidays, Omotoso allegedly told her if she wanted to continue staying in his house she would have to adhere to “appointments” which entailed, according to Faleni, sexual acts.
This, she said, happened two or three times a week, until November 2014, when Omotoso kicked her out because she stopped responding to his demands.
Omotoso, 62, and his co-accused Lusanda Sulani, 37, and Zukiswa Sitho, 29, face 63 main and 34 alternative charges among them, ranging from rape to human trafficking, sexual assault and racketeering.
The trio pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The case continues.
HeraldLIVE
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