Bushiri fraud case postponed to Wednesday

The case against Prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary, who face charges of fraud and money laundering, has been postponed to Wednesday, February 6.

Bushiri and his wife appeared in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crime Court after the Hawks and police arrested them on several allegations, including contravening the Exchange Control Regulations Act in relation to $1,147,200 worth of foreign currency.

Hundreds of Bushiri followers protested outside the court in a show of unwavering support for the self-proclaimed prophet and his wife. Congregants from the church were seen singing and dancing outside the commercial crime court.

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The arrest of Bushiri and his wife comes at a bad time for the religious leader.

Bushiri and his church have been at the centre of controversy after the death of three women in a stampede at his ECG church during a service on December 28. At least 17 other congregants were injured after running for shelter during a heavy rainstorm.

In the aftermath of the incident, the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) led protests at the ECG, with community members calling for the church to be expelled from the Pretoria showgrounds and for Bushiri to be deported to his home country Malawi.

A report after an inquiry by the CRL Rights Commission, however, cleared Bushiri of negligence, finding that the event where the tragedy took place was compliant with municipal bylaws and the Safety at Sports and Recreation Events Act (SSRE Act).

(Compiled by Gopolang Chawane, additional reporting by ANA)

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