The controversial IPHC (International Pentecostal Holiness Church) Jerusalem faction leader Michael Sandlana is not returning to the church’s headquarters called Silo in the west of Johannesburg.
The fraud and corruption accused bishop, who is still facing charges at the Pretoria High Court, had previously said, through his spokesperson Vusi Ndala, that he was returning to the church’s glorious seat of power.
Sandlana, who for a long time claimed to be the son of the church’s deceased leader MG Sandlana, had his wings plucked when Modise’s biological sons Leonard and Tshepiso united against him.
The Modise brothers said Sandlana was an imposter who was maliciously trying to get his hands on their father’s more than R200 million rand estate.
Sandlana rose to church fame when MG Modise died and he (Sandlana) sought to be the leader of Gauteng’s biggest church.
His dreams were cut short when the police exposed him for possessing two ID numbers, and that Modise had no last will and testament declaring Sandlana as his son and leader of the church.
Ndala said Sandlana was planning to return to Silo but according to the Modise family and elders, they only recognise Leonard Modise as the church’s sovereign leader and they would not ‘under any circumstances allow him to come within a 500-metre radius of the church.
The Modise family said police would soon act against Sandlana over more cases of fraud.
Modise’s family were surprised to learn that the hi-jacked church buses were registered to a company named Ntate O Lerato, of which Sandlana was the sole director ,and the deceased Modise’s smart ID card was used to complete the transfer of ownership.
The Department of Home Affairs confirmed to The Star that on February 13, 2017, a smart ID was illegally issued in Modise's name, a year after his death.
Captain Augustinah Selepe confirmed that there was an ongoing investigation into Modise's name and ID being used for fraudulent activities and that the docket was sitting with the National Prosecuting Authority.
Throwing Sandlana deeper under the bus, Sylvia Busisiwe Gumede, a fingerprint officer attached to the Fingerprint Verifications Unit at the Department of Home Affairs, confirmed that Modise was last granted a green bar-coded ID and never possessed a smart card.
Izak de Villiers, executor of Modise’s estate, alleged that one of the buses, with the registration CP80GFGP, belonged to Modise and was "illegally or unlawfully transferred to the Ntate O Lerato (Pty) Ltd owned by a certain Michael Gilbert Sandlana”.
“I do not know how the signatures and identity documents were obtained to effect the transfer of the bus. And as an executor I did not give anyone permission to sign transfer documents on behalf of the estate.”
The SAPS, with the help of De Villiers was said to be completing the investigation into Sandlana’s hand in the theft of church buses and the fraudulent use of Modise’s ID.
Sandlana has not responded to The Star’s questions in recent weeks.
This is a developing story.