The International Pentecost Holiness Church Headquarters at Silo in Zuurbekom has welcomed the arrest of Pretoria High Court Judge Portia Phahlane, saying the development strengthens its long-standing position about alleged wrongdoing linked to the leadership battle that has split the church since 2018.
Judge Phahlane, her son Kagiso Phahlane, businessman Vusi Ndala and Jerusalem faction leader Michael Sandlana appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Wednesday following their arrest on Tuesday night. State prosecutor Willem van Zyl told the court that a fifth accused had not yet been arrested.
Phahlane is accused of taking more than R2 million in bribes from Sandlana while presiding over the church’s succession case in the Pretoria High Court. During the bail proceedings, Magistrate Nica Setshogoe granted Phahlane bail of R50 000. Her son was granted bail of R10 000, and Ndala was also released on R10 000 bail. Sandlana’s bail application was not heard on Wednesday, and he was not granted bail pending a separate hearing.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the IPHC Headquarters said it was encouraged that allegations of corruption and interference in matters affecting the congregation were now surfacing through formal legal processes. The church said the developments reaffirm its position that Sandlana is not and has never been the legitimate leader of the International Pentecost Holiness Church.
“We are elated that justice is prevailing and that long standing concerns related to corruption and interference in matters affecting the Church are beginning to be exposed through lawful processes. Today’s developments reaffirm what the IPHC has been saying for the past seven years: that the truth cannot be suppressed indefinitely,” said Priest E M Makwana on behalf of the church.
The church said the arrest aligns with a broader pattern of fraudulent activities it alleges are linked to Sandlana and which remain under investigation. It reiterated its call for full accountability in outstanding matters, including allegations involving the identity theft of the late His Grace M G Modise, the father of current Presiding Leader His Grace Comforter F L G Modise.
Makwana said the headquarters remains confident in the justice system and believes all wrongdoing will be exposed as the law takes its course. He urged congregants across South Africa, the region and abroad to remain calm, prayerful and united while the criminal process unfolds.
“We urge all IPHC congregants across South Africa, Sub Saharan Africa and abroad to remain calm, prayerful and united behind the truth. Today’s development strengthens our belief that God’s timing is perfect and that the integrity of His Church will ultimately be restored and protected,” Makwana said.
He added that the IPHC Headquarters remains committed to transparency, moral leadership and the spiritual wellbeing of the church’s millions of worshippers as the investigations continue.
