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Bushiris could forfeit their residence in South Africa

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The Bushiri couple will forfeit their residence in South Africa should they not present themselves before the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

Government spokesperson Phumla Williams says a warrant of arrest has been issued by the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court for the two fugitives, Shepherd Bushiri and his wife, Mary, who contravened their bail conditions when they failed to present themselves at the police station to confirm that they are still in the country.

They are charged with theft, fraud and money laundering involving over R100 000 million.

Williams says as South Africa and Malawi have a good working relationship, they have no reason to believe the Malawian government will not cooperate.

“Government would like to confirm that we have initiated the process to get Mr Bushiri and the wife extradited back into South Africa. We are starting with paperwork through the courts. We will be compiling all the necessary documentation to submit to the Malawian government. We will keep South Africans updated as we proceed with this process,” adds  Williams.

Hawks are investigating the Bushiris escape to Malawi:

Controversies:

Bushiri has claimed to be a prophet with healing powers,  saying he changed the fortunes of the impoverished, has cured people of HIV and made the blind see.

In 2017, social media users criticized the church leader when ticket prices to his “exclusive” gala dinner ranged between R1 000 and R25 000.

The Bushiris were arrested, among two others, in October on charges of fraud, money laundering and theft worth more than R102 million.

Earlier this month, the couple was ordered to hand over the title deed of their Midstream Estate home to the State. The Bushiris forfeited their passports and were banned from travelling outside South Africa.

Following their escape to Malawi, South African police have warned the couple to present themselves to the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Thursday or risk forfeiting their Midstream Estate property.

On Sunday, the South African government said that it had initiated the extradition process for Malawi to hand him over.

In the video below, ECG Church leader Bushiri address post departure to Malawi

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