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After failing to appear in court for the second time since they were released on bail, Enlightened Christian Encounter (ECG) leader Shepherd Bushiri and his wife, Mary, have lost their R5.5 million Pretoria property. A second arrest warrant has also been issued.
A Pretoria magistrate has ordered Pastor Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary, pastor of the Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG), to be confiscated from the state after they failed to appear in court.
The ownership of the Midstream Estate was tied to the couple’s bail conditions set more than a week ago.
“That is what the court decided because they violated their bail conditions,” confirmed NPA spokesman Sipho Ngwema. Daily maverick Thursday.
Magistrate Thandi Theledi issued the order after the couple failed to appear in court for the second time since they were released.
The ruling comes after the Hawks, on Monday, November 16, warned the Bushiris that they risked losing their property if they did not appear in court. It was highly unlikely that the two would respect the court appearance, given that they are currently in Malawi after having bailed out last week. They have since been turned over to Malawian authorities, Malawian Information Minister Gospel Kazako confirmed.
Since then, arrest warrants have been issued in South Africa for the couple who have a large following in South Africa.
“The North Gauteng High Court has issued arrest warrants for fugitives Shepherd Bushiri and Mary Bushiri, who breached bail conditions and fled to Malawi several days ago. At the time of their disappearance, Mr. and Mrs. Bushiri had posted bail of 100,000 rand each and were required to report regularly to authorities as part of meeting the conditions of the bond, ”says a statement from the Hawks posted earlier in the week.
Speaking on Radio 702 on Thursday, November 19, Kazako confirmed that they had received a communication from Interpol Pretoria that they were looking for the couple. He also confirmed that the couple spent Wednesday night in custody after they turned themselves in the day before. Kazako said the Bushiris were due to appear in court in their home country on Thursday, November 19.
Kazako said the Malawian government did not want to interfere and hinder the existing systems for the administration of justice. He noted that the Malawian government was criticized by the South African media for allegedly employing delaying tactics and was apparently unwilling to hand over the Bushiris to the South African authorities. Kazako said it was not a question of whether or not they were willing to hand over the Bushiris, but the law.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance has asked the government to submit a red notice request to Interpol for the extradition of the Bushiris. The party said it believed that the filing of the red notice would attract Malawian police authorities to take action against the Bushiri and support and accelerate extradition procedures.
The Bushiris face charges of theft, fraud and money laundering in the amount of R102 million.
During his time in South Africa, Bushiri has caused much controversy.
In late 2018, three people were killed at the Pretoria branch of the ECG after a stampede. At the time, many South Africans demanded that the Bushiris leave the country after being accused of thwarting the ends of justice in connection with the stampede. They were accused of ordering the removal of the bodies of the victims from the scene of the stampede.
In August, two women accused Rape bushiri. Both victims claimed that Bushiri had handed over 5,000 rand to each of them after the rapes and claimed that they wanted justice for their actions.
Interest in the Bushiris has grown since their arrest and increased dramatically once they fled the country claiming they feared for their lives.
During previous court appearances, crowds of followers of the self-proclaimed prophet flocked to court in their numbers to support their leader, whom they affectionately referred to as “Dad”, “Spiritual Father” and other names.
“My God, I am the daughter of Major 1. All I want to tell you is that Major 1 is my prophet, my father, my oracle and my hero. Goodbye, ”said Modipadi Mashia, a staunch Bushiri supporter. Daily maverick Thursday.
As things currently stand, it would appear that the return of the Bushiris to South Africa to face music is largely dependent on the full cooperation of the Malawian government. DM
