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Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary. Photo SBI / Facebook
- The state’s case against self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri, his wife Mary, and co-defendant Landiwe Ntlokwana was postponed until Monday.
- They appeared at Pretoria Magistrates Court on Friday to request their final bail.
- Dozens of followers chanted and prayed outside the court.
Self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri, his wife Mary and co-defendant Landiwe Ntlokwana will spend the weekend behind bars after their bail request was postponed until Monday.
The trio appeared in Pretoria Magistrates Court on Friday.
Magistrate Thandi Theledi previously suggested that the case be postponed until the completion of the bond hearing because she had only heard the defense team’s argument.
But defendant defender Annelene van den Heever said “bail is always urgent.”
He told the court that the defendants should not be put at an institutional disadvantage.
“We ask that the case be postponed until Monday.”
READ ALSO | Shepherd Bushiri turns himself in to the Hawks after his wife’s arrest
Theledi agreed to postpone it, but said he would take care of other listed cases first before taking care of his bail request.
He warned that there was a possibility that he would not hear the case on Monday.
Van der Heever responded by saying: “We are fully willing to sit down and wait for our turn.”
Outside of court, dozens of Bushiri supporters chanted and prayed before and during his appearance.
They sang, “We’re not going back without our Major 1.”
The crowd also carried posters showing the faces of the couple.
Bushiri turned himself in to the Hawks following his wife’s arrest Tuesday morning.
In a statement issued Tuesday, they said they had arrested four suspects for their alleged involvement in fraud and money laundering amounting to R102 million, News24 reported.
The first couple arrested on Saturday were Willah and Zethu Mudolo, who also appeared in Pretoria Magistrates Court.
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