Enlightened Christian Gathering church leader Prophet Shepherd Bushiri with his wife, Mary. Picture: Dimpho Maja / African News Agency
Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) church leader Shepherd Bushiri says he does not care about the Centurion property he forfeited to the state after failing to appear in court on Thursday.
He said in a statement after the ruling: “I am also informed that some of my assets in South Africa have been confiscated by authorities to which I say: ‘My right to life is more important than any asset in this world’.”
The property in Midstream Estate, Centurion – valued at R5.5 million – was forfeited along with the couple’s combined bail money of R400,000.
This after the couple violated bail conditions and fled to Malawi last week.
Bushiri and his wife, Mary, appeared before a Malawian court on Thursday after handing themselves to Malawi police on Wednesday.
In his ruling, the magistrate ordered their unconditional release, saying their arrest was illegal.
“Whatever has happened today, I don’t see it as our victory neither our lawyers. God has won. Tomorrow is better than today,” said Bushiri.
Bushiri, his wife, and the three other accused were arrested in October in connection with fraud, money laundering and theft worth more than R102 million.
The couple fled to Malawi last week because of “safety and security issues since 2015” – matters which got worse after they were granted bail, they said in a statement.
“There have been clear and evident attempts to have myself, my wife and my family killed and despite our several attempts to report to authorities, there has never been State protection. Our coming to Malawi, hence, is a tactical withdrawal from the Republic of South Africa solely meant to preserve our lives.
“These attempts have been heightened with recent spates of arrests and detentions that we felt the only way for us to clear our names before the law is to ensure that our lives are preserved. My wife and I strongly believe in our innocence but this cannot be proved if our lives are not preserved. We have to be alive to testify to our innocence.
“Against this background, we have come to a painful conclusion that what my wife and I have faced in the Republic of South Africa, since 2015, is purely persecution not prosecution,” said Bushiri.
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