Gay pastor saga...the sequel

2002-10-01 09:10

Philip de Bruin

Johannesburg - The love triangle involving a gay Apostolic Faith Mission pastor, a married one who moved in with him and the cuckolded wife who must pay R7 000 monthly maintenance, has taken a new twist.

Now, a warrant for the arrest of the wife has been issued.

After affidavits involving the three people and a High Court ruling ordering Adri Swart of Springs to pay Johan Swart maintenance, repeated efforts have failed to secure a settlement out of court.

Swart left his wife in July to move in with Philip Liebenberg of the AFM congregation in Melville, Johannesburg.

Mrs Swart claims the two men have had an ongoing affair for the past five years. Pastor Swart, in turn, claims he has not come to a decision about his sexual orientation.

Lieberberg claims there is "definitely love" between him and Swart.

Swart and his wife are in the process of a divorce. The interim maintenance order will be enforced until the final divorce one.

Would be arrested

On Monday, Beeld acquired documents which stated that Swart had filed a criminal charge with the Springs police against his wife for violating the maintenance order. A warrant for her arrest was issued on these grounds.

A Captain Meyer of Springs police called Mrs Swart on Friday and told her she would be arrested as she was in breach of the court order. Mrs Swart claims Meyer is a member of her husband's congregation.

After urgent phone calls between Mrs Swart's lawyer and her husband's one, it was agreed the warrant would be held back until Mrs Swart had contested the maintenance order in court.

According to Mrs Swart, she phoned Meyer on Monday morning, but was told he had had no instructions to hold back the warrant for her arrest. By late on Monday evening, she had not been arrested.

Mrs Swart claims her husband filed the charge with the police "maliciously and in an attempt to victimise me".

Beeld was told confidentially that an urgent application would be submitted to the court on Tuesday to have the arrest warrant overturned.

- Beeld