CAPE TOWN - The South African priest, the Rev Dr Allan Boesak, undaunted by charges he stole anti-apartheid aid funds during his years of political struggle, returned home yesterday to a hero's welcome with cheering supporters carrying him shoulder high and reaching out to touch him.
The Justice Minister, Mr Dullah Omar, led a crowd of about 1,000 in an ecstatic airport welcome for Dr Boesak, who spearheaded the struggle against apartheid with Archbishop Desmond Tutu when emergency rule silenced most other opposition during the final decade of white rule.
"I have come back to this country, my country, my home, because I am not afraid to face those who have charged me because I am, as they know, totally innocent of the charges they have levelled against me."
Dr Boesak, former leader of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, left the country two years ago when the Scandinavian DanChurch Aid agency laid charges of fraud and theft involving more than a million rand (£141,440) of funding intended for the poor.
He is due to appear in court today. However, the case is likely to be postponed until April.