Prophet Bushiri holds Malawi diplomatic passport
South Africa-based prophet Shepherd Bushiri holds a Malawi diplomatic passport, it has emerged as some members of civil society and faith groups have asked government to intervene in the ongoing legal battles of the Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) leader.
While South Africa Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaled has said Bushiri and his wife are in South Africa illegally, Malawi Watch executive director Billy Banda said Malawi Government should intervene because Bushiri holds a diplomatic passport.
Under international law, the holder of diplomatic passport enjoy diplomatic immunity and Bushiri should not be condemned with political statements from Minister of Home Affairs as being llegal immigrant in the media.
Banda and Anthony Mukumbwa—a commissioner of the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) and a close friend of Bushiri— told reporters in Lilongwe that the South African authorities were in breach of international conventions on diplomatic relations.
“There are international Conventions that protect the treatment of diplomats across the world in cases such as this.
“We are therefore calling on Malawi Government to engage the South African Government on this. The statutes must be invoked; the Bushiris must be brought back to Malawi,” he said.
Banda said the group said the Bushiris should face fair trial and enjoy the status of being innocent until proven guilty.
Prophet Bushiri and his wife Mary have a permanent residential status in South Africa duly and legally issued by the Home Affairs Department.
However, between February 6 2019 and March 26 2019, Home Affairs, through some officer there, issued three notices asking Prophet Bushiri and Prophetess Mary to explain how they got the residential status.
Two of those notices were withdrawn by the Courts and the third one was declared by the Courts as ‘irrational, unlawful and invalid’.
Notwithstanding that, the Home Affairs issued another notice, this time on August 2 2020, giving Prophet Bushiri and Prophetess Mary Bushiri 30 days to explain how they got the permanent residence.
Prophet Bushiri’s lawyers challenged the notice and the High Court, on 21 October 2020, suspended the notice until May 31 2021 after the couple takes a plea in the 2019 case. The Home Affairs has said it will challenge the ruling before Supreme Court.
As of now, Prophet Bushiri and his wife still have their permanent residential status in South Africa until the courts decide otherwise.
Bushiri, currently remanded and back in court on Friday for bail application, faces fraud charges involving about K4.6 billion (R102 million) following their arrest by South Africa’s special serious organised crimes unit, the Hawks.
The Bushiris were also arrested in February 2019 and face separate charges of fraud, money laundering and the contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (Poca) for offences they allegedly committed from 2015.
Prophet Bushiri registered ECG and a series of other companies in 2015 after he moved from Malawi to South Africa.
He has a growing congregation of over two million people who queue up outside his Pretoria church to witness what he calls “miracles”.
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On what grounds did he obtain diplomatic pass mpakana mkazi wake? Please hawks investigate all the people he brought with him Gwamba, mlaka maliro etc
The man calls himself a prophet. Am sure he saw this coming and saw his way out. Maybe he can just walk on air out of jail. What do I know? Am not a prophet he he he 2020 he said a great year. Nyekhwe
ACB..Corruption here
Arrest the minister who authorised that a mere John,a scammer was afforded a diplomatic passport
OMG !!! you just gave The Hawks more ammunition. Now they have to investigate how a false prophet was able to establish businesses with a Diplomatic Passport…….ayayaya koma a Malawi kutengeka ndi zinthu za eni!!!!!
You just got him in deeper shit
kikikikikikiki khoswe wa padenga anaulula wapadzala and kunena kwa ndithe ndithe nathambwe anazitengela…..sitimadziwa za diplomatic passport …ka mlandu kenanso aka…he was trying to back his call for immunity but wanyula…hozaaaa
You just got him in more serious trouble, a Malawi kutengeka!!!!
Seeking residency and conducting business in a foreign land while holding a Diplomatic Passport is a NO NO NO, that is criminal in itself!!! ……… uwuso ndi mulandu padela…. koma a Prophet awona nyatwa chaka chino 2020
Diplomatic passport and permanent residency generally are mutually exclusive. You either have one or the other unless you are appointed as a Consul or Consul General on behalf of a country that does not have a resident ambassador and/or diplomatic ties in that country. There were many consul generals when the world cut-off diplomatic relations with Apartheid South Africa. However, this is no longer the case.
Is he a diplomat? How did he get it, after spending jail time in south’s Africa, he must come and explain here too
The Chief Immigration Officer should explain how Bushiri and his family got diplomatic passports. Is it given to people with money? Has Simbi Phiri got one too
Or was it given (sold) to him by the disgraced arrested immigration minister?
How did he acquire a Malawi diplomatic passport when he is not in any capacity executive diplomatic roles?
Everyday is for a thief one day is for the owner of the house .
How on earth did he get a diplomatic passport and on what grounds? Is he a diplomat representing the country? He’s simply there to enrich himself through his CROOKED ways. That’s another reason to lock him for fraudulently acquiring a diplomatic passport, hence fake.
Somebody has been asked to explain how he, being Malawian, acquired a permanent stay residential permit; what is wrong with that? We are a bunch of stupid people who have no value of being a nation. We get surprised and perplexed with those who value their country. We have alot of similar cases here in Malawi where we are supposed to be asking the same questions about how some foreign nationals acquired their Citizenship. Zikalimani kumunda a Billy Banda mvula yagwa. South Africa is a country that has people who are proud of it. Let them do their job and do yours here. Bushiri is not guilty of anything until the South African courts say so. Let the rule of law flow without any infringement.
Joe, check your facts before exposing your ignorance
Calm down people, diplomatic passport does not give you diplomatic immunity. Only a few people at the mission or embassy will be given immunity by the host nation, but they can revoke the immunity. Bushiri can have a diplomatic passport BUT he is on a diplomatic mission to South Africa.
Think simple, all the rich drug lords from corrupt countries will just be travelling around the world commiting crimes while waving their diplomatic passport.
Does having Diplomatic Passport give an individual liberty to go in a foreign land to commit crimes unscathed? Let him go to court as the law says and possibly exonerate himself, otherwise a CSO with no office in Malawi can shout the loudest but no stone will be moved until justice is meted.
This is now getting very interesting, Bushiri and his wife Mary are in deeper trouble than I thought. So if they have Diplomatic passports why were they applying for residency in South Africa. How were they able to have businesses in South Africa on Diplomatic Passports?????……..That is illegal in any country!!!!! ……. Nyekhwe is real!!!!!
This just complicates things for the con artist Bushiri and his wife, what I know is you cannot be given residency in another country if you are carrying a Diplomatic passport. You guys are putting Bushiri and his wife in more trouble
if this conman holds a malawi diplomatic passport, then it means he is part of a larger network of mafiyosos in subsaharan africa. can the government explain in simple language how diplomatic passports are issued
Malawi government needs to investigate how The False Prophet got the diplomatic passport
Ndiye umakakhala permanent resident uli ndi diplomatic passport? Mbava
He may hold a diplomatic passport but he was in South Africa not as a representative of the Malawi Government or Head of State but in private capacity and that strips him of any diplomatic protection according to Article 31(1)(c) of the Vienna convention on diplomatic relations 1961. He did not have any official diplomatic duties assigned to him by the Malawi Government and the cases are all related to his private commercial activities which which are not owned, and operated on behalf of the Malawi Government. He is also a Permanent Resident in South Africa which strips him of diplomatic immunity in South Africa.
Can I get a diplomatic passport too?
How did Bushiri get a diplomatic passport? This man is a crook. He deserves to be jailed. He is a criminal
Even Malawi government chased diplomats like High Commissioner from UK. What did you say about it?
Mr. Bushiri will walk on air shortly. Mary bushiri will follow. These two can perform miracles.
Kodi zkuvuta pati ma prophet ndi ma prophetess onyengawa,osachita ma miracle awo aja kuti nthawi iyi mbuzi amazinamiza zija zitsimikize kutidi apa ndipamunda,momwe anachitila Mose kwa falao kapena yesu kunyulidwa ndi Angelo.amenewo ndimwa ena.
Is Bushiri a diplomat. Don’t think so. Why therefore does he hold a domestic passport? It is either a fake diplomatic passport or one obtained in a corrupt manner. He chose to be in South Africa so he should face whatever the judicial processes he is under as someone who has been in that country for sometime. Why Billy Banda or any other CSOs are advocating on his behalf for Malawi government to intervene is perplexing. What diplomatic post was Bushiri given by Malawi government?
I want to know the conditions in Malawi for one to be issued a diplomatic passports. Please someone who knows it please explain to me.
Yes indeed you have asked a very good question
Anyone can have a diplomatic passport because the apart from The President, First Lady, Diplomats, MPs, Senior Government Officials, Senior Military and Police Officers, the President may also grant any citizen the privilege of holding a diplomatic passport.
Bodza inu..
He is son of soil who has worth from GOD,how come today they want to ask him such questions？what they must know is Major 1 is rich not because is in their country but because he is worth it.He is in the country to answer call of GOD
Simunati ana a Papa. Milandu yakwana itatu tsopano. A Nyasatimes comment yanga bwanji mukundifinya ngati ndatukwana. Iponyeni anthu awerenge
Zobela amphawi, KHULUKU YA KHULUKU. From God wake uti? Lakwana la 40.