Bushiri ‘not shocked or surprised’ by rape warrants of arrest

Self-proclaimed prophet, Shepherd Bushiri has said that he is neither shocked nor surprised by media reports on the warrants of arrest that have been issued against him following rape allegations.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Ephraim Nyondo, Bushiri said the warrants of arrest were “part of the larger crusade to try and persecute my name in the media by a team of same white police officers notably from the Hawks”.

“For the record, it is trite that when a warrant of arrest is issued, law enforcement agencies proceed to effect the arrest; not leaking information to the media as my case has always been with these white police officers.

“These are white police officers that I opened extortion and corruption cases against in 2018 after they tried, unsuccessfully, to extort about R10 million from me. At the time, they were clear and on record saying that ‘failure to pay the R10million would result in immediate retaliation’.

“Despite confirming the opening of such cases, South African Authorities haven’t taken any relevant steps to bring to book these white police officers.

“Instead, these officers were let loose, riding on the back of state resources, and embarked on a crusade to cover up their crimes by launching and issuing numerous warrants of arrests against me,” Bushiri’s statement reads.

The self-proclaimed prophet claims the “white police officers” behind the alleged “crusade” to persecute his name are the ones “who arrested me in February 2019” and who arrested him in October.

However, he added that “without any official confirmation I bet it’s the same police officers”.

“I have been advised—which advice I accept—that rape cases are not handled by Hawks but South African Police (SAPS) designated unit known as Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS).

“I had launched complaints on how Hawks were recruiting girls to fabricate charges of rape and to date no reprieve for me. Some of these were confirmed via various videos of those who came back to confess such wrongful conduct.

“During my public address on Saturday, 21 Nov 2020, I pertinently and persistently stated that as long as these officers are not recused, there is no way I can receive fair trial in South Africa because those white officers are surely and evidently so driven by vengeance, not justice.

“That is why these fresh warrants of arrest are neither a shock nor a surprise because they only confirm every detail I shared with regards to spates of injustice I left in South Africa.

“But above all, as a revered man of God, a husband and father who understands that rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I stand and believes in.

“As Keen as I am to clear my name, I unequivocally refuse to feed the media spectacle created by white police officers bent to cover up their crimes. My conscious is very clear and so it shall remain.”

Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu

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