Key Takeaways:
- Mike Sandlana, leader of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church’s (IPHC) Jerusalema faction, has been charged with corruption and will spend more time in custody.
- Sandlana and his co-accused, including Pretoria high court judge Portia Phahlane, are facing 19 counts of corruption.
- The allegations include bribes being offered to Phahlane in exchange for a favourable judgment in a succession dispute involving the church.
- The case is ongoing, with the main trial set to resume on March 6, 2026.
- The IPHC has been embroiled in a bitter succession dispute since the death of its leader, Bishop Glayton Modise, in 2016.
Introduction to the Case
The leader of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church’s (IPHC) Jerusalema faction, Mike Sandlana, has been charged with corruption and will spend more time in custody. Sandlana’s lawyer, advocate Mike Hellens SC, informed the court that they had not gathered all the necessary facts to make a bail application. This decision means that Sandlana will remain in custody until further notice. Sandlana and his co-accused, including Pretoria high court judge Portia Phahlane and her son Kagiso, were arrested last week on charges of corruption, fraud, and money laundering.
The Allegations
The allegations against Sandlana and his co-accused are serious and involve bribes being offered to Phahlane in exchange for a favourable judgment in a succession dispute involving the church. It is alleged that between 2021 and 2022, Sandlana and his spokesperson, Vusi Ndala, made payments of about R2.4m to different banking accounts, including those belonging to Phahlane, in an attempt to influence the outcome of the case. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has stated that intensive prosecution-led investigations by the Hawks Serious Corruption Investigation team led to the arrests on November 25 and 26, 2025.
The Succession Dispute
The IPHC has been embroiled in a bitter succession dispute since the death of its leader, Bishop Glayton Modise, in 2016. The church, which was established in 1962 by Modise’s father, Frederick Samuel Modise, has over 3 million members in Southern Africa and 350 branches. The dispute over control of the church has created factions and led to civil litigation in the Pretoria high court. Sandlana’s faction believes that he should have been running the church, while the Modise brothers, Tshepiso and Leonard, have also laid claim to the leadership.
The Court Proceedings
When Sandlana appeared in court, a group of his supporters, some dressed in church regalia, gathered outside the Pretoria specialised commercial crimes court to show their support. The court rejected an application to film the proceedings, which was brought by individuals claiming to be media, including one belonging to the church. The magistrate dismissed the application, stating that the applicants did not present convincing credentials and their paperwork was incomplete. Phahlane, who presided over the controversial legal battle for control of the church, was granted bail of R50,000 last week, while her son Kagiso and Ndala were granted bail of R10,000 each.
The Road Ahead
The main case is due to resume on March 6, 2026, and it is unclear at this stage when or if a formal bail application for Sandlana will be brought to court. The NPA has stated that the accused are facing 19 counts of corruption, and the prosecution will likely present its case against them in the coming months. The outcome of the case will have significant implications for the IPHC and its members, who have been affected by the bitter succession dispute. As the case continues to unfold, it is likely that more details will emerge about the allegations against Sandlana and his co-accused, and the court will ultimately decide their fate.
