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By Goitsemang Tlhabye 
November 2, 2020
Pretoria – Self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his four co-defendants will find out on Wednesday whether the prayers of his followers and legal representatives have managed to secure his release on bail.
This while the state and the various defense teams presented their arguments in Pretoria Magistrates Court today.
As usual, members of the Enlightenment Christian Encounter (ECG) church came out once again in their number in front of the courthouse to pray for the release of their “spiritual father and mother” on bail.
Leaders outside the court spoke to the crowd singing fight songs that they were all members of the church and not just foreign nationals.
“Phantsi ngo mona, Phantsi ngo xenophobia (down with jealousy, down with xenophobia). They say that this church is full of foreigners, but that is not the case, there are members from Shangaan, Venda, Pedi, American, DA, EFF, ANC, all possible nationals are here because this is an international church ”.
Inside the court, the state prosecutor indicated that the reason why the state requested that the defendant be denied bail was due to the solidity of the case, which, he said, is detailed in the charge sheet.
In addition, he said that Bushiri had a debt of more than 200 million rand, and that his Sparkling Water hotel was attached as collateral for that debt.
With this in mind, he said he believed there was even more motivation for the defendants to flee the country.
He said that imposing conditions for defendants to surrender their travel documents was not comfortable for them as, according to their own claims, they were millionaires and could afford to lose bail while evading trial.
He added that while it was confirmed last week that Bushiri and his wife were in possession of diplomatic passports from Malawi, however, they had no connection with South Africa.
Annelien van den Heever of the defense implored once again that the courts take into account the facts and not merely the assertions of the State.
Van den Heever said it was the state’s duty to provide evidence of its problems as it said it was only providing the courts with bits of misleading information.
He said the state had a burden to provide the full evidence to the courts and not base its arguments solely on speculation and innuendo.
Magistrate Thandi Theledi will deliver sentence on Wednesday in court 16.
Pretoria News
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