Self-proclaimed prophet Sheperd Bushiri and his wife, Mary,
have been granted bail of R100,000 bail each after appearing in the Specialised
Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria on Wednesday morning.
The case was postponed until May 10 and the couple will
have to stay in Gauteng as one of the bail conditions.
A large following of fanatical fans holding placards was
ready to support the religious leader outside the court, including one that
said “You touch major 1 by mistake / You will die by correction / Hands off
God’s prophet”.
“Major one” is what the self-proclaimed prophet is known as
among his followers. Bushiri and his wife Mary face charges of fraud and money
laundering.
Bushiri and his wife appeared in the Pretoria Specialised
Commercial Crime Court after the Hawks and police arrested them on several
allegations, including contravening the Exchange Control Regulations Act in
relation to $1,147,200 worth of foreign currency.
Hundreds of Bushiri followers protested outside the court
in a show of unwavering support for the self-proclaimed prophet and his wife.
Congregants from the church were seen singing and dancing outside the
commercial crime court.
The arrest of Bushiri and his wife comes at a bad time for
the religious leader.
Bushiri and his church have been at the centre of
controversy after the death of three women in a stampede at his ECG church
during a service on December 28. At least 17 other congregants were injured
after running for shelter during a heavy rainstorm.
In the aftermath of the incident, the South African
National Civic Organisation (Sanco) led protests at the ECG, with community
members calling for the church to be expelled from the Pretoria showgrounds and
for Bushiri to be deported to his home country of Malawi.
A report after an inquiry by the CRL Rights Commission,
however, cleared Bushiri of negligence, finding that the event where the
tragedy took place was compliant with municipal bylaws and the Safety at Sports
and Recreation Events Act.
#Bushiri they are saying where is the devils? pic.twitter.com/ku4s0gnzA3— Nombaliso🌸 (@Mbals_MHLAULI) February 6, 2019
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