IPHC leader Mike Sandlana denied bail

Leader of the International Pentecost Holiness Church (IPHC) Mike Sandlana will spend the holy Christmas holidays behind bars after the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court denied his bid for bail.

Sandlana, who was arrested alongside High Court Judge Portia Phahlane in November on corruption charges, returned to court on Monday for the outcome of his bail application.

The 64-year-old is accused of bribing the judge who has been presiding over the IPHC’s lengthy succession battle.

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Judge Phahlane, her son, Kagiso, and the church’s spokesperson, Vusi Ndala, are already out on bail.

It is lleged that between 2021 and 2022, Ndala and Sandlana made payments of about R2.4 million to and for the benefit of Judge Phahlane.

It’s believed this was in order for her to preside over Sandlana’s ongoing civil case at the High Court and ultimately rule in his favour.

In court, during the bail application, Sandlana, asked to be released on bail, claiming that the State does not have a strong case against him.

The State opposed his release on bail, citing his disregard for the law.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) alleges Sandlana has changed his ID number three times, blaming it on the Department of Home Affairs and has two birth certificates that were tempered with.

The matter has been postponed to 6 March 2026 for further investigations.