He’s the wealthiest Malawian and perhaps the most famous product of his homeland.
But instead of their chests swelling with pride many Malawians have been shocked to hear what Prophet Shepherd Huxley Bushiri, the charismatic preacher who heads the evangelical Enlightened Christian Gathering church, has been accused of.
Before he slipped bail of R400,000 and escaped from South Africa in November with his wife Mary, Bushiri was charged with fraud, theft, racketeering and money laundering stemming from a R102-million investment scheme.
Since then prosecutors seeking to extradite the 37-year-old Bushiri have told the Malawian government of further charges including the alleged rape of girls as young as 16.
Bushiri certainly succeeded in making a fool out of the South African justice system.
Everyone said he’d escape if given bail.
The High Court went ahead and gave him bail.
Days later he skipped bail to Malawi and despite all the huffing and puffing from the South African authorities, the truth about who helped Bushiri escape remains elusive.
Bushiri claims he has been persecuted without trial by the South African authorities since 2015.
Efforts to extradite him from Malawi are expected to continue into 2021 but the NPA has received an assurance from the government of Malawi that it will assist in ensuring Bushiri does stand trial.
Picture source: @MacdalineMathye
