Net closing in on Bhushuri and wife

The Justice and Correctional Services Minister, Ronald Lamola has lamented that Malawian self-proclaimed Enlightened Christian Gathering Jesus Nations prophet Sheperd Bhushiri and his wife Mary will be brought into the country at the end of the ongoing extradition court process.

Bushiri and his wife are facing a string of charges including fraud and money laundering. They will be brought back to Pretoria at the end of the ongoing extradition court process.

“What we can assure South Africans is that we will follow the matter through up until the highest court of Malawi, and we remain confident that our request is in compliance with the Extradition Act of Malawi.

“In line with the advice that we are receiving, and the good cooperation we are receiving from the authorities of Malawi, we are able to submit and comply with their laws hence we have scored significant victories in the courts, where we also won and succeeded in their courts of appeal.

“We will follow through the matter up unit the end. We believe in the end, they will definitely come back to our country to account for the matters that the authorities here, the National Prosecuting Authority and the SAPS want them to account for, in South Africa,” said Lamola.

According to the minister the matter should be able to progress by the 1oth of month, with the investigating officers taking the stand and testify.

“On the 10th of October we believe that the matter should be able to proceed and the NPA and the investigating officers of the matter will be called upon to the stand to testify, barring any further points in Limine (a process that addresses technical legal points, raised prior to getting into the merits of the case) that are being raised to obfuscate and to delay the matter by the Bushiris,” said Lamola.

The Bhushiris fled the the country in November 202 after being released on R200,000 bail by the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on November 4, 2020.