Bushiri: SA police demanded R10m bribe

JOHANNESBURG - Prophet Shepherd Bushiri has accused the South African Police Service (SAPS) of demanding a R10 million bribe from him and his wife, Mary.

The self-proclaimed prophet has further claimed that he and Mary were targeted because they were foreigners in South Africa and their ministry was getting too big.

The couple, who were arrested in October 2022, were reportedly smuggled out of South Africa in Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera’s hired jet.

Charges

The pair appeared in a Malawian court this week on charges relating to the theft of R106 million purportedly through an entity called Rising Estate, that allegedly took money from congregants under the guise of investing it and no monies were ever paid out to congregants.

The Bushiris were believed to have taken the monies, however, it has since been revealed that following an investigation by global audit firm, KPMG, not a cent of the R106 million was deposited into the couple’s bank accounts. According to Malawian publication, Nyasa Times, Gauteng

Director of Public Prosecutions Sibongile Mzinyathi, was cross-examined in court where she explained how the government hired KPMG to audit the couple’s account, but could not trace where the money went.

Bushiri’s lawyer, Wapona Kita, said his clients have been labelled as thieves and faced immense shame.

In an eight-minute long video on his social media pages, Bushiri said he and his wife ‘left’ SA because they felt the persecution that they were facing in the country following their arrest.

Threats

He said they received death threats and survived attempts on their lives. These, Bushiri claimed, were linked to some government officials. “I just want to say, it’s so heartbreaking. As a man of God, I have forgiven them and their actions. I hope if they are humans, they will apologise over such behaviour. We are here to expose more things and to show them that actually they did all these things because I am a foreigner in South Africa.

My ministry was growing too big, and this was part of xenophobic jealousy and more other things,” he said.

Bushiri claimed police wanted a R10 million bribe from him, but he chose not to bow to corruption.

(Pic: Ephraim Nyondo / ECG) Shepherd Bushiri, leader of the Enlightened Christian Gathering Church and his wife, Mary accuse SA police of soliciting R10 million from them).