Millionaire preacher in fraud probe
Africa’s wealthiest preacher, who once claimed to have had a selfie taken with God, has been charged with money laundering and fraud after allegedly spiriting cases of cash out of South Africa on one of his private jets.
Hundreds of followers protested and prayed ‘‘in tongues’’ outside the court in Johannesburg where ‘‘Prophet’’ Shepherd Bushiri appeared with his wife, Mary. Mr Bushiri, 35, has amassed a personal fortune of $230 million – what he calls ‘‘miracle money’’ – since he set up his string of Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) churches across Africa.
Each Sunday more than 40,000 devotees of the man also known as ‘‘Major 1’’ pack the ECG’s compound in Pretoria – where three women were killed in a stampede last month – to hear his sermons on how to fight demons, find love and get rich.
He has also won fans in the US and Asia.
His YouTube site features footage of him supposedly bringing people back to life and summoning angels while, around him, worshippers collapse in ecstasy. The spectacle of him apparently walking on air was seen by many as a sign he was ‘‘the chosen one’’, but raised doubts among others. In 2016 a woman claimed she had been among a number of actors paid to be ‘‘healed’’ during a sermon; an allegation denied by the Bentley-driving Bushiri.
The couple, who gave one of their two daughters a Maserati for her sixth birthday, were arrested at an exclusive hotel near Johannesburg by officers from the Hawks, an elite investigations unit, after a three-year inquiry.
The case against them alleges offences of fraud, money laundering and contravention of the prevention of organised crime act, a spokesman for the Hawks said. They were granted bail of $10,700 each and made to surrender their passports. They have denied the allegations in affidavits.
Born into poverty in Mzuzu, northern Malawi, Bushiri has built a huge business empire over the past decade which is managed by his wife and includes mines, property, hotels and four private planes. An application to seize their assets is with the courts, City Press newspaper reported.
‘‘I am a businessman and that is separate from being a prophet. My prosperity is from private businesses. Such questions are not asked from leaders of white churches but when an African man prospers, it’s a problem.’’ Shepherd Bushiri
He has accused critics of racism after claims that he became rich by exploiting the poor.
‘‘My success should inspire people to be entrepreneurs,’’ he told the BBC.
‘‘I am a businessman and that is separate from being a prophet. My prosperity is from private businesses. Such questions are not asked from leaders of white churches but when an African man prospers, it’s a problem.’’
As the couple were brought to court his followers sprayed police cars with his ‘‘miracle oil’’ – $20 a bottle – which is marketed at his churches alongside vials labelled ‘‘the blood of Jesus’’.
Bushiri’s ministry is one of a number of radical churches that have been established in South Africa in recent years. A government commission has released a report on the phenomenon which included incidents of preachers urging worshippers to eat snakes or drink petrol to prove their devotion.
‘‘South Africa is still an unequal society but some people have found some success,’’ the commission’s head, Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva, said. ‘‘At the end of apartheid many people were expecting to live like their white counterparts. When you continue to live in poverty it makes you vulnerable to anyone who promises to have an answer for you. South Africans are still hopeful of the Nelson Mandela dream. This is what these bogus pastors prey on.’’ – The Times