Stampede at Bushiri church, dozens hurt: Prophet to add more services to meet crowds demand in South Africa

Malawian Prophet Shepherd Bushiri said he will increase his Sunday services to four to meet attendance demand for his fast growing church Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) after some worshippers were injured when they tried to gain access to a church event at the Tshwane Events Centre at the Pretoria show grounds.

According to South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) hundreds of ECG Church congregants had been queuing outside the premises services since midnight and they overpowered security guards to gain entrance when the gates were opened.

Some people fell to the ground with other people falling and trampling over them.

An elderly woman, believed to be in her 60’s, was reportedly found with severe pelvic injuries and a man  around his 30’s was found with severe knee injuries and both of them were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Thirteen people were also transported to nearby hospital for injuries ranging from minor to moderate.

“There are no critical injuries,” Tshwane Emergency Services spokesperson Johan Pieterse told SABC.

Pieterse added that all victims were taken by private ambulance to Steve Biko Hospital and Kalafong, saying “the situation is manageable in this moment.”

Some of the people with minor injuries declined to be transported to hospital and indicated they would go back to the church event and be healed by the ‘Major 1’..

Paramedics from ER24  a private emergency service from as far as Johannesburg were dispatched to the scene to assist, as were the local authorities.

South African police are also always around every Sunday for free security services and helped to ensure the victims were well taken care of.

Bushiri reacted with special prayers to the injured and said he will increase church services to four on a Sunday to meet the demands as well as opening more  branches in South Africa.

“Our church services are characterised by unusual prophecies, healings, and all manner of miracles,” Bushiri says attributing it to God’s grace upon his life.

ECG church has grown to 35,000 members in a space of eight months since he relocated there from Mzuzu in Malawi’s northern city.

Bushiri also launched a television station, Prophetic Channel which is on Free to Air and viewed by millions worshippers.

During live broadcasts, shouts of ‘Major One’ as he is commonly called, break out in the audience as people cry out for the attention of the Man of God.

Sometimes, calls of ‘Major One, do something’ or ‘Papa’ ring out as the desperate audience present their various needs to the Prophet.

He calls out people by their names, tells them their backgrounds, and gives them solutions to their problems as many shed tears in shock as to how someone who is a stranger to them can know so much about them.

Bushiri drew public attention recently when he was shown walking in the air in a video posted on YouTube and also shown to congregants during one of the church services. He has also another ‘miracle’ of ‘spiritual capture of the child on ipad.

On Sunday where there was a stampede, a wealthy man who Bushiri claimed was capturing a child related to him, testified saying he was “puzzled” when he saw the kid .

He said the child was a daughter of his brother who was critically ill but now is fit and well,

The man also said his wife was in bad state of health but has been healed.

He further said his business was not doing well but after he now “got salvation” and has been blessed with multimillion contracts from government on his computer business from government.

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