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The Pretoria High Court has refused to participate in the unholy war between the self-proclaimed prophets Shepherd Bushiri and Paseka ‘Mboro’ Motsoeneng, for now.
On Wednesday morning, the court heard an urgent request from Bushiri to stop Motsoeneng from making what he described as “defamatory” statements about him. However, on Wednesday afternoon, the request was removed from the list and the court determined that it was in fact not urgent.
READ MORE: Bushiri vs Mboro Court Battle Heats Up
Judge David Makhoba, in rendering his ruling, said that issuing an injunction would “presuppose a conclusion” that the statements in question were, in fact, defamatory.
“I can’t do that,” he said.
He also slapped Bushiri with the application costs.
Bushiri’s case against Motsoeneng came in response to “defamatory” statements posted on social media and in the press about him.
The statements in question emanated from allegations that Bushiri cheated some of his parishioners out of their life savings by having them invest in an unreliable Forex and commodity trading scheme and, in particular, reports on Felicia Sibeko, from 46 years old, and her husband, Arthur. , who claim to have lost a total of R130,000.
Bushiri is in the process of filing a claim for damages. In the meantime, however, he wanted the court to stop Motsoeneng and the Sibekos from slandering him and for the court to order that the offending statements be removed from the various online platforms they currently appear on.
READ MORE: ‘It’s unfair,’ says Bushiri after fraud, money laundering case postponed
Bushiri also claimed to have been a victim of the scheme. And she said in her court papers that once she realized she was not up on board, she took out of her own pocket to pay investors, including the Sibekos, whom she said she had returned in two installments of R65,000.
During the discussions, Bushiri’s defender Dali Mpofu SC said the offensive statements described him as “a scammer, a thief, a liar.”
He said they also suggested that the Malawi-born Bushiri should “go home” and that they had a xenophobic background.
Speaking after the court, Motsoeneng welcomed the result.
“It’s not about me,” he said, “I’m glad that the people who were affected, who have won the right, their cries are heard.”
He said there were “no personal issues” at stake and that he just wanted to “help all the alleged victims get their money back.”
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