Port Elizabeth - Drama unfolded at the Port Elizabeth High Court on Tuesday on the second day of the trial involving a Nigerian pastor charged with human trafficking.
In the court foyer, a woman was seen arguing with Hawks detective Peter Plaatjies and refused to leave the building.
It is understood that she is a congregant from the Jesus Dominion International Church and falsely represented herself as the pastor’s security.
The woman resisted, kicked and shouted before she was forcibly removed by police.
She refused to speak to the media following the scuffle.
The woman is seen arguing with Detective Warrant Officer Peter Plaatjies, before she is forcibly removed by police. Video: Raahil Sain / ANA
Many congregants gathered outside the building and were unable to attend proceedings as there was no space in Courtroom A.
The Nigerian pastor faces a total of 63 charges which include human trafficking, rape, sexual assault racketeering and conspiracy in aiding another person to commit sexual assault.
His co-accused, two women, are accused of recruiting girls from all over the country for purposes of sexual exploitation.
The trio has yet to plead to the charges against them.
The 58-year-old televangelist allegedly trafficked more than 30 girls and women who were from various branches of his church to a house in Umhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal, where he allegedly sexually exploited them.
He also faces charges of fraud and for being in the country illegally.
The pastor was arrested on April 20, last year, by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks, at the Port Elizabeth Airport.
According to the State, some of the alleged victims are as young as 13-years-old.
* Receive IOL's top stories via WhatsApp by sending your name to 0745573535.