Pretoria - Hundreds of International Pentecost Holiness Church members protested outside the Westonaria Magistrate’s Court, in Gauteng’s West Rand, where advocate Goodwill Papie Maluleke was appearing on allegations of defrauding the IPHC Jerusalem led by Michael Sandlana.
Allegations are that Maluleke was hired by the Sandlana-led faction of the IPHC to represent its 42 members who were arrested in 2020 following the massacre at Zuurbekom, where five people were killed in cold blood.
In January, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson in Gauteng, Phindi Mjonondwane told IOL that the murder charges against the 42 had been struck off the court roll. In a turn of events, the IPHC Jerusalem insisted the SAPS had failed dismally in its bid to pin the 42 men to the crime which took place at Zuurbekom.
“The IPHC congregating at Jerusalem, under the leadership of His Grace, Successor MG Sandlana, is once again vindicated with regards to the July 2020 Zuurbekom massacre where five members of the IPHC at Jerusalem were killed gruesomely,” said spokesperson Priest Vusi Ndala at the time.
Following the tumbling down of that court case, Maluleke is accused of receiving the bail money in the region of R200 000 which had been paid by the group of 42 who he represented, and “stealing” it.
On Tuesday, Maluleke was represented by legal eagle, advocate Zola Majavu, who described him as “a very decent human being, a former magistrate, and a lawyer”.
“I would rather not say his age but he is a colleague, he is a former magistrate, a lawyer, a very decent human being, and besides I take my clients as they are. He is a family man and he is obviously not happy about these allegations and the fact that people are singing insulting names about his name,” Majavu said at court.
“We have been dealing with these charges for quite some time. He (Maluleke) was not arrested, he brought himself to court today. It was a very brief appearance where we agreed that I would be provided with the contents of the dockets tomorrow.”
Majavu said once he had perused the docket, the matter would return to court on Thursday, where it will be postponed for trial.
Outside court, hundreds of disgruntled IPHC Jerusalem members were demanding that Maluleke be arrested.
Some waved placards written: “We know that you stole a lot of money from church”; “We want our church money now”; “Stop hacking our phones now” and “Are you the advocate or home wrecker”.
Police officers were closely watching the protesters.
The well-known church, which boasts a three million membership in South Africa and neighbouring countries, has been engulfed in a bitter three-way conflict to succeed Glayton Modise, who “inherited” the church from his father and founder, “Comforter” Frederick Samuel Modise, in 1998.
There has been intensive conflict between the three main contenders – Glayton Modise’s two sons, Frederick Leonard Goitsemang and Tshepiso, and Sandlana, reported in the media as Modise’s son out of wedlock – to take over the reins of the vast church.
IOL