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Self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri has accused his fellow pastor, Paseka ‘Mboro’ Motsoeneng’s, of being motivated by “jealousy and spite.”
Bushiri took Motsoeneng to Pretoria High Court this week in response to statements he describes as “libelous.”
The statements in question emanate from allegations that Bushiri cheated some of his parishioners out of his life savings by making them invest in an unreliable Forex and commodity trading scheme and, in particular, from reports on Felicia Sibeko, 46 years old, and her husband. , Arthur, who claim to have lost a total of R130,000.
Bushiri is filing for a lawsuit for damages, but in the meantime, he wants his detractors to not be able to defame him and for the court to order that the offensive statements be removed from the various online platforms they currently appear on.
Bushiri also claims to have been a victim of the scheme. She said in her court documents that she had taken herself out of her own pocket to pay members of her congregation who had lost money, including the Sibekos, whom she said she had repaid in two installments of R65,000.
Members of the Illuminated Christian Church run by fraud and money laundering accused of the Prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife, the Prophetess Mary, show their support by singing and praying in front of the Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria, February 4, 2019. Image: Oupa Mokoena / African News Agency (ANA)
He blamed the negative publicity on “the expected jealousy and spite of other spiritual leaders,” who he said were envious of his success.
And when the case went to court for hearing on Wednesday morning, Bushiri’s attorney, attorney Dali Mpofu SC, echoed these sentiments.
Mpofu began his arguments by talking about the right to dignity, which, he said, was linked to the right not to be discriminated against.
“In South Africa, unlike the United States, the right to freedom of expression is not limited,” said Mpofu. He pointed to the offensive statements and said they painted Bushiri as “a con man, a thief, a liar.”
He said they also suggested that the Malawi-born Bushiri should “go home” and that they had a xenophobic background.
“There is a toxic mix of pure smear, mixed, as it were, with xenophobic comments,” Mpofu said, adding that the latter “have no place” in the country.
Mpofu said there was no factual dispute.
When asked by the court whether the funds in question had actually been returned, Mpofu said that this was “the heart of the case” and that the statements were based on “deliberate misrepresentation”.
“It is now common for them to get R 135,000 returned,” said Mpofu.
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