Joy at Bushiris’ release
THOUSANDS of Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) members could not contain their joy yesterday when their charismatic leader, self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri, appeared through the observation hatch on the roof of a police Nyala shortly after he and his wife Mary were released on R100000 bail each.
Pretoria-born Mike Mthembu said he was contemplating withholding his vote in the upcoming elections if the law enforcement agencies continued “harassing the anointed Major One”.
“These thousands of people you see here are sending a clear message to the Hawks (Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation) – touch him again and there will be consequences,” Mthembu said.
“It feels surreal that today I have seen my dad (referring to Shepherd Bushiri) through that police vehicle sunroof. I cried in disbelief. The only other event I can think of similar to this one in this country is the release of Nelson Mandela from Robben Island. Our liberator is back now.”
The leader of the Incredible Happenings Church, self-proclaimed prophet Paseka “Mboro” Motsoeneng, had enchanted the lively crowd of ECG members when he arrived to support his “brother”.
Motsoeneng had also been at the Pretoria Commercial Crimes Court on Monday during the Bushiris’ initial appearance.
After the Bushiris’ release, Motsoeneng was again at the forefront – standing in the middle of police officers hanging on to the bumper of the Nyala transporting the Bushiris from the court.
“As a man of God, I couldn’t just sit back. We are the body of Christ and we should be supporting each other. If one church falls, it doesn’t mean it will only be that church. It’s the beginning of the fall of other churches. Where we do wrong, we confess our sins to God and He forgives us and gives us a chance. The prophet (Bushiri) has prayed for many people and he has changed many lives,” Mboro said.
“Being back, it will bring growth to many lives and many people. Whatever he was doing changed many lives, so I’m here to support him as a brother and a friend.”
The Bushiris were arrested by the Hawks at their plush Sparkling Waters Resort in Rustenburg in North West on Friday. They face charges including fraud and money laundering. | African News Agency (ANA)