A Courtroom Pause, A Congregation’s Protest

The path to freedom for embattled International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC) leader Mike Sandlana hit a deliberate pause on Wednesday. In the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court, his senior counsel, advocate Mike Hellens SC, informed the magistrate they were not ready. They had not yet gathered all the necessary facts to proceed with a formal bail application. The result: Sandlana, leader of the church’s Jerusalema faction in Brits, will spend more time behind bars.

The decision extends the custody of a man at the centre of a scandal that has entangled the judiciary and one of Southern Africa’s wealthiest religious institutions. Sandlana, along with his spokesperson Vusi Ndala, Pretoria High Court Judge Portia Phahlane, and her son Kagiso, faces 19 counts of corruption. The core allegation is that Sandlana and Ndala funnelled approximately R2.4 million to Judge Phahlane between 2021 and 2022, seeking a favourable ruling in the IPHC’s bitter, high-stakes succession battle.

Supporters, Signs, and a Masked Accused

Outside the courthouse, the scene was one of fervent support. A group of Sandlana’s followers, some clad in the distinctive regalia of the church, stood with placards alleging state corruption and police intimidation. Their presence underscored the deep loyalties and divisions within the 3-million-strong church, founded in 1962 and torn by factional war since the death of Bishop Glayton Modise in 2016.

Inside, Sandlana entered wearing a grey suit and a face mask, a figure of muted authority. The court first dismissed an application to film proceedings from individuals claiming to be media, including a church-linked entity, citing unconvincing credentials.

A Web of Money, Power, and Faith

The case stems from a protracted civil war for control of the IPHC’s vast resources and congregation, pitting the Modise brothers, Tshepiso and Leonard, against Sandlana’s own faction. Judge Phahlane presided over this sensitive litigation, placing her at the heart of the dispute. While she, her son, and Ndala were granted bail last week (R50,000 and R10,000 respectively), Sandlana’s fate remains in limbo.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has detailed that “intensive prosecution-led investigations” by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation unit led to the arrests. The charges allege payments were made to various banking accounts “to and for the benefit of” the judge to secure a ruling in Sandlana’s favour.

The Long Road to 2026

With the bail application delayed, it is unclear when Sandlana might make a new bid for release. The main corruption trial itself is only scheduled to resume on 6 March 2026, promising a long legal saga.

For now, a church leader sits in a cell, his supporters rally outside, and a case that has exposed the unsettling intersection of spiritual authority, judicial integrity, and alleged graft inches forward. The delay in his bail hearing is more than a procedural hiccup; it is an extension of a high-stakes waiting game where faith, law, and liberty are all on the line.