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By Se-Anne Rall 
9h ago
Durban: Self-proclaimed prophet, Shepherd Bushiri and his wife, Mary, will spend at least two nights at Kgoshi Mampuru Correctional Center following their appearance in Pretoria Magistrates Court on Wednesday. The couple appeared with third co-defendant Landiwe Ntlokwana on charges of fraud and money laundering in connection with an investment plan.
Bushiri turned himself in to the Hawks on Tuesday while his wife and Ntlokwana were arrested by officials.
The matter was postponed to Friday because the state was not ready to proceed with a formal request for bail, as there were details that needed to be verified before the request could go ahead. The State needed to confirm the address of the couple since their residence is for sale and their residency documentation will expire.
In court, it was learned that Bushiris’ gross monthly income is 566,000 rand.
The spokesman for the National Tax Authority in Pretoria, Lumka Mahanjana, said that the Bushiri and another couple, Willah Joseph and Zethu Mudolo, allegedly defrauded investors out of just over R106 million through an investment plan.
“The Mudolos appeared in the same court on Monday on the same charges. The matter was postponed to Friday,” he said.
“We are unhappy with what we believe to be an armament of the criminal justice system. The state reserves the right to arrest and prosecute, but surely they cannot always arrest and then claim they are not ready to proceed.”
Meanwhile, those in the Bushiri support camp criticized the court for how his appearance was handled on Wednesday.
The Prophet Bushiri and the Prophetess Mary Bushiri have always vehemently defended their innocence and are determined in their position that they are innocent. It is our wish that the State proceed with their cases without delay so that the truth comes out, “a statement read Wednesday on Bushiri’s official Facebook page.
Crowds gathered outside court to show their support for the Bushiris.
Bushiri founded the Church of the Enlightened Christian Encounter in South Africa. The church also has branches in Malawi, Ghana, South Sudan, and other countries.
He has also been accused of raping two women from his church. However, he claimed that the women were trying to extort money from him. | MESS
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