Bay pastor in court over theft of R1.4m
A PORT Elizabeth pastor, who allegedly dipped into the coffers of a northern areas church to steal about R1.4-million over a period of nine years, appeared in court yesterday.
The Rev Peter Twynham, 78, of the Port Elizabeth Tabernacle in Sanctor, ignored his former congregants as he stood in the dock.
An internal investigation was launched in June 2012 after Twynham allegedly confessed to church board members he had underpaid the taxman.
It was discovered that not only had Twynham defrauded the SA Revenue Service (SARS) out of R444 757, he had also allegedly stolen nearly R1.4-million from the church.
He appeared briefly in the Port Elizabeth Commercial Crimes Court yesterday on charges of fraud and theft. The case was postponed to February 7. He is out on warning.
The allegations caused a split in the popular church, where Twynham has served as senior pastor since 1978. One faction ended up worshipping under Twynham at the church’s premises in Sanctor and the other group at Dower College.
The split was evident yesterday as members of the breakaway group filled one side of the courtroom and Twynham’s few supporters sat on the opposite side.
The Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) swooped on Twynham’s Aspen Heights home last month with a restraint order totalling nearly R2-million.
In addition to his family home, the AFU seized his Mercedes-Benz C-class, a trailer and a vehicle he reportedly bought for his son-in-law.
He has been given until January 21 to oppose the order.
According to court papers, Twynham under-declared the church’s income for the period 2004 to 2012.
In March 2003, the church was registered with SARS as a public benefit organisation (PBO), and accordingly received tax exemptions.
Twynham and senior church members Quintin Isaacs and Harry van Rooyen were registered as fiduciary officers. However, Twynham dealt with the funds at all times, which included ensuring funds were available for church projects, paying bills, drawing a monthly salary of R12 500 for himself, and then depositing the surplus into the church’s bank account.
“By applying to be registered as a PBO, SARS understood that the funds received were to be used only for the benefit of the church and its general members,” the documents state.
It is alleged that between 2004 and 2011, Twynham failed to provide financial reports to church members. However, he occasionally jotted down the expenditure in booklets he kept for his own record.
In June 2012, church accounting officer Richard Johannes uncovered the alleged theft when it was found that the amounts in Twynham’s booklets did not correspond with the balances reflected in bank statements.