South African authorities have issued a warrant of arrest for Prophet Shepherd Bushiri – controversial Malawian preacher who jumped bail and fled to his home country last week.
Shepherd Bushiri and his wife, Mary, were granted bail in South Africa where he lives and pastors a church, Enlightened Christian Gathering, in a case of alleged fraud and money laundering.
REPORT AFRIQUE reported that Bushiri had jumped bail and fled South Africa to Malawi last week, while citing claims of threats to his life and the unwillingness of SA authorities to provide him safety.
“A warrant of arrest has been issued this morning by the Pretoria magistrates court for the two fugitives,” Katlego Mogale, acting spokeswoman for the elite police unit known as the Hawks, said in a statement on Monday.
The couple’s bail has been cancelled and they will each forfeit the 200,000 rand ($13,000) they had individually posted.
Media claims suggested Shepherd Bushiri had fled in the presidential jet of Malawian president Lazurus Chekwara, who had visited his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa in the eve of Bushiri’s escape to Malawi.
Malawian authorities denied such allegations and explained that Chekwara was still in South Africa when Shepherd Bushiri allegedly landed in Malawi.
South Africa has initiated a process to extradite them from Malawi, the government announced at the weekend.
Chekwera said he would not intervene in the case.
“He will leave it to state institutions to do their job,” Chakwera’s spokesman Brian Banda told the press.
Shepherd Bushiri’s Claims of Death Threats: Malawian Pastor Chirwa killed in Cape Town
Pastor Blessing Nduli Chirwa, A Malawian native, was shot and killed by armed robbers in Deft area of Cape town days after Prophet Shepherd Bushiri fled South Africa to malawi claiming his life was not safe in South Africa.
Late Chirwa was a pastor at the church of Central African Presbyterian in Joe Slovo park and had visited Deft when he was accosted by armed robbers. He was shot dead when he resisted the robbers from stealing his car.
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