South Africa starts Bushiri’s extradition process with Malawi, clears Chakwera connection
South Africa government has put to an end to the rumour that Prophet Shephered Bushiri fled on Malawi’s presidential jet with President Lazarus Chakwera, saying they verified that the controversial Christian preacher used other means to escape and they have started the official extradition process in order for the Malawian prophet, and his wife Mary, stand trial in the ‘rainbow nation’ .
Earlier this month Bushiri and his wife were released on bail after being charged with fraud and money laundering in October in a multimillion-dollar case but got bail in November on condition that they would confine themselves to South Africa’s Gauteng province.
On Sunday afternoon, South Africa government spokesperson Phumla Williams, said in a statement seen by Nyasa Times that the extradition from Malawi will be requested in terms of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Extradition “and other legal instruments, to which Malawi is a signatory”.
This, the statement said, is to ensure that Bushiri and his wife who are branded “ fugitives” should face justice.
It adds: “While this process is underway, law-enforcement agencies will continue investigations into this matter.”
Bushiri, leader of his church – the Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) – is known for his “miracles” and wildly extravagant lifestyle.
‘Major 1’ as Bushiri is widely known, said he had fled to Malawi as he feared for his life and he accused the South African authorities of not offering protection.
“Our coming to Malawi, hence, is a tactical withdrawal from the Republic of South Africa solely meant to preserve our lives,” said Bushiri. “We have to be alive to testify.”
Meanwhile, the South African government has parried away speculation that the Malawian President may have been involved in smuggling Bushiri since news emerged that his flight home had been delayed by several hours.
The Malawian leader was on a working visit to South Africa and met with President Cyril Ramaphosa in Tshwane on Friday.
Besides the Malawian government vehemently denying this on Saturday, spokesperson for South Africa government Williams also put an end to the rumour.
“Government is able to confirm that (the) fugitives … did not leave South Africa aboard a flight on which President Lazarus Chakwera and his delegation travelled.
Williams added that “President Chakwera and his delegation departed from Waterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria and stopped over at OR Tambo International Airport to collect an additional number of officials who had travelled to South Africa earlier to prepare for the working visit.
“Department of Home Affairs immigration officials verified the identities of all passengers and Mr and Ms Bushiri were not on the flight.
“When travellers are processed for departure, they are required to present themselves to an immigration officer who, among other checks, verifies that the passport belongs to the traveller,” she said.
Bushiri is adamant he’s not running away from his trial in South Africa.
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Send him back. Let him do a miracle in SA at his hearings time to show his major 1ness is now. Other ptophets in the bible did miracles in such moments because they trusted God more, let’s see now which God he believes. Elijah was fed by birds at the Brooks when he fled from Jezebel him also should do something in SA not here. By the way Malawi send him back it is against international criminal laws to keep a fugitive running away from facing the law. Let us not get embarrassed we’ve had enough yet
Nawonso aChakwera excitement sinathebe yoti ndi a President palibe President akuyenda yenda pano ndinalembanso ine pa tsamba lomweli kiti it’s waste of money kuyenda yenda masiku ano kuti technology akopanga Zoom ngati panali zina za Chinsinsi akanadikira palibe chasoveka pano chimene anakakambirana. Mpaka atokosola zosatokosora zowanamizira. Ill advised by so many advisers.
Koma abwana akulu. zomayendetsa ndege ngati mini-bus sizabwino. Samalani mudzakumana ndi mwala wachiponyeponye.
Bushiri is not a preacher but a top of the range thief. I do not know why people believe in what these new thieves who disguise themselves as prophets. Do you really know the meaning of a prophet? Why do people believe in stupid things in the 21st Century? Please beware of prophets.
he is a genius that’s why you following him. why not shut up if this guy doesn’t amuse you. he is a genius,
Welcome home Papa haters wl always be there
Fellas, our govt is in deep shit! Bushiri is quite popular here. Besides, some cabinet ministers sincerely believe this dude is a prophet— the real McCoy. While others may not believe this, they have nonetheless gotten some funding from this crook, thanks to the murky world of party funding in our country.
Thus our govt will dilly dally, claim he’s our citizen, etc, instead of do the right thing, which is to send this fucker back to South Africa expeditiously to face the music. The South African govt has all the cards here, including the two jokers. All we have is a dubious claim to sovereignty, masking a very compromised party funding apparatus I have alluded to above.
Bushuri who ever advised you to defer the bail conditions was wrong. For u even to accept being smuggled illegally to you country of origin is very shameful of you. Any person in his right mind wouldn’t even want to listen to you preach. You have embarrassed the church and you are disgrace to Malawi.
All those people who surround you, some quite educated are hypocrites. They don’t tell you the truth, they are all puppets who cant collect when you are wrong. I am very sorry because you may end up spending the rest of your life in Jail.
You don’t even need prayer now, if your father Angel is really a father figure you respect he can’t be watching all this garbage going on and he is asking for prayer.
Bushiri was ill advised, if that was the case then he should have just held up at the Malawi Embassy or any Embassy Office in South Africa and not flea the country because now he and his wife are fugitives and interpol has been activated
Mr. Bushiti is good at performing miracles. His wife too.
He has never performed a miracle. Not even a single miracle. They were all tricks to the uneducated. Those of us who are clever/educated never bought the idea of the so called miracle. We were just laughing our lungs out!
Pa or tambo amakatenga bushiri under disguise. It’s obvious bushiri couldn’t join up at the military airport so he was just included under the delegation to be picked at or tambo.
Inunso ndi a Immigration aku RSA. Owners have clarified that he used other routes inuyo anzeru kuti you should conradict the RSA Gvt & Immigration Dpt?
Send the guy back to face the music! He is an official fugitive and what he has done is not only criminal but embarrassing to the Gov’t of Malawi and harmful to all SADC citizens living in South Africa.
1. If he truly believed their lives were in danger why not present homself to the Malawian Embassy and seek refuge there? Once inside embassy premises he is on sovereign ground and can’t be accessed except the embassy hand him over. So clearly, he is running away from facing his case.
2. Doing it during the President’s working visit was a calculated cunning move designed to divert attention, create a diplomatic bruhaha to draw attention away from the fact that he is a fugitive criminal. All this while making Malawi Gov’t look like fools!
3. Any other SADC citizen who finds themselves in the court system will have an uphill struggle accessing bail now. Being in the neighborhood of SA, prosecutors will fear they may just slip away via road…
Send these CROOKS back as soon as possible.
That’s some fukced up sheit!!! How the heck can this crook embarrass us in such manner? We’re now branded as untrustworthy in the international community eyes. This fool dug himself a grave now he has to drag the government to sort out his mess. Some of us knew from the beginning that his greed will damage our reputation and coupled with poor PR from Tokha alliance, expect a strong backlash from SA government. For christ sake, Chitsika, do some damage control. How did we ended up here with azibusa as leaders really??????
In my opinion RSA, and its officials do not respect malawi govt. how can a fully resipossible finance minister go on twitter and accuse our state president as the one who helped bushiri escape south africa. some say ”he was dismissing it as a mare fake news” but truth be told, he is not RSA minister of infomation, or ANC mouth peace. and the way he wrote it, even an average grade pupil will understand that he did not meant good for our president. back on issue of bushiri, the govt should make sure that the serious concerns raised by bushiri are met by south africa govt before sending him there[if you will send him] of which i do not support. those people they have kept him for three years without giving him a trial, every time state police saying they are still digging up evidence and they are not ready. imagine 3 years. as it is know bushiri is still innocent, untill those state prosecuters are ready and present their long searched evidences before court. but i feel it will not happen since they had been searching for 3 years already with nothing to present to court as tangible evidence.