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By ANA Reporter 
8h ago
Rustenberg – Self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri made five demands as a condition for his return to South Africa to stand trial.
In a statement on Saturday and later in a televised speech broadcast on the private television station Zodiak Broadcasting, Bushiri said he was in his home country to formally ask the Malawi government to intervene in his court battles in South Africa.
“I arrived in Malawi on Wednesday and my president [Lazarus Chakwera] left for South Africa the next day [Thursday] I have not met my government. I have not spoken to any government official. I will meet with my government on Monday. “
Bushiri said he would not flee his trial but wants to involve his native government about his concerns about his criminal cases in South Africa.
He said his South African-based lawyers would file documents in the higher court on Monday so that his bail would not be revoked.
“I’m not running away [from trial]. That is why I am here announcing that I am in Malawi. If you’re running, you don’t reveal where you are … I’m going to submit to the Malawi police too, I’m going to introduce myself to them … “
Church leader Enlightened Christian Gathering and his wife Mary face charges of theft, money laundering and fraud in connection with an alleged rand 100 million investment plan.
Both were released on bail of 200,000 rand each at the Central Magistrates Court in Pretoria on 4 November, following their arrest in October.
As part of their bond, they were only allowed to travel within Gauteng and North West until the case was finalized. The couple owns a hotel in Rustenburg, in the northwest.
Bushiri made five demands as a condition for his return to South Africa to stand trial.
1 First. I want the South African government to guarantee our safety while we are in South Africa.
2. Second, I want the South African government to assure us that our bond will not be revoked. Our right to a fair trial means that we have access to our attorneys at all times. Revocation of the bond nullifies our right to a fair trial and also exposes us to greater security and safety challenges.
3. Third, I want the agents involved in the investigation, arrest and prosecution of us to recuse themselves. As previously stated, this is the same team that I filed a complaint against earlier and also opened cases against. I will not have a fair trial with your continued participation.
4. Fourth, I want the South African State to see that all the issues that I raised and opened against these officers are brought to their logical conclusion before proceeding with our case.
5. Finally, I want the South African State to appoint independent and professional investigators and prosecutors who must make independent decisions on the cases with which we are allegedly charged.
Bushiri said: “The investigation [team] It is made up of five white policemen, the judge is white and one prosecutor is white. As a black man in South Africa I will not have a fair trial.
He said he had opened extortion cases against the team of police officers who arrested him and the team investigating his cases.
He said he opened cases in 2018 and hoped that the South African judicial system would take up the cases he had brought first.
He claimed that shortly after opening the cases, his life was in danger and that he was forced to send his two young children to Malawi for security reasons.
He said they temporarily returned to their home country “due to security and protection problems since 2015, matters that worsened when we were released on bail.”
“There have been clear and obvious attempts to kill me, my wife and my family and, despite our various attempts to inform the authorities, there has never been protection from the State,” his statement reads.
“Our arrival in Malawi, therefore, is a tactical withdrawal by the Republic of South Africa with the sole objective of preserving our lives.”
The Bushiri said they “firmly believe” in his innocence, adding that this “cannot be proven if our lives are not preserved.”
“We have to be alive to bear witness to our innocence. While we are here, we were arrested in 2019 on alleged money laundering charges and it has been two years without trial because the State is not ready to give it, ”they said.
“Equally shocking is the fact that while we waited to learn the facts of the recent arrest, the State raised immigration issues that they, not us, owe the public an explanation. But they want us to explain.
“In this context, we have come to the painful conclusion that what my wife and I have faced in the Republic of South Africa, since 2015, is pure persecution, not prosecution …
“In this regard, I request the government of Malawi to contact the government of South Africa to ensure that the above issues are resolved. Once these three issues are resolved and a fair, just and impartial trial is assured, I am ready to stand before the South African justice system, ”said the self-proclaimed prophet.
“I am looking forward to that day because my wife and I have been waiting a long time to prove our innocence and clear our names.”
In the nearly 30-minute televised briefing on Saturday night, he did not release details on how he skipped the country, as he was expected to have turned over his travel documents to police as part of his bail conditions.
African News Agency / ANA
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