WATCH: Bushiri supporters see angels in the sky

The Citizen reported earlier on Wednesday morning that fanatical followers were out in full force to support self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary at their bail hearing at the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria.

The pair were granted bail of R100,000 each and their case was postponed until May 10.

One placard, it was reported, seemed threatening in tone, warning: “You touch major 1 by mistake / You will die by correction / Hands off God’s prophet”.

WATCH: Touch Bushiri and ‘die by correction’, say fanatical followers

Most of the followers, however, seemed to be there more to peacefully worship than to protest.

The video clip posted below shows the crowd pointing excitedly at the sky.

They told The Citizen photographer Jacques Nelles, who took the video, that there were angels “clearly visible” up there. Nelles told us he couldn’t see them.

Video by Jacques Nelles. 

In another video, the Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) congregants can be seen exultantly worshipping on their hands and knees.

Video by Jacques Nelles. 

TimesLive reported on Tuesday that Bushiri was trending on Twitter due to the extreme amount of support he enjoys, after followers were seen crying, kneeling, and praying outside the court.

Journalist Iavan Pijoos posted a video in which one follower can be heard shouting: “I want my daddy”.

A #Bushiri follower, who is dressed like a disciple, is heard shouting: “I want my daddy.” @TimesLIVE pic.twitter.com/bhrNqktANW

— Iavan Pijoos (@iavanpijoos) February 4, 2019

The devotion shown towards the “prophet” by his congregants was evident in a video, which circulated widely on Facebook on Tuesday but appears to have been filmed a couple years ago, in which the religious leader finds a creative way of telling his supporters he expects them to fund the construction of a new church has inspired mockery on Twitter.

In the video, the self-proclaimed prophet delivers some good news and some bad news to his congregants.

READ MORE: Barry Roux will defend Prophet Bushiri

“The good news is I’ve secured R500 million for the construction of the church,” he says in the video, an announcement that is met with wild applause.

But when the applause eventually dies down, the “prophet” delivers the bad news: “The bad news is the money is still in your pocket.”

Curiously, his followers appear to react excitedly to this bit of information too.

https://www.facebook.com/fred.tavengwa/videos/10215673623288104/

The Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) has many branches in Africa and the rest of the world.

Bushiri claims the church has over 700,000 members in South Africa alone.

Bushiri’s biggest services attract over 100,000 viewers and are broadcast on his own personal television station.

His largest gatherings have been held on New Year’s Eve at FNB Stadium. There were with over 95,000 attendees both in 2016 and 2017.

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