The South African government is still pushing for Shepherd Bushiri, leader of the Enlightened Christian Gathering Church and his wife, Mary to be extradited back to Pretoria. l EPHRAIM NYONDO/ECG
A former member of “prophet” Shepherd Bushiri’s inner circle and security personnel from 2016 to 2020 has denied recent claims made by the self-proclaimed man of God.
Last October, speaking through his online publication, “Malawi.24”, Bushiri claimed that he was a victim of an attack and an armed robbery incident on February 7, 2020.
According to the controversial pastor, this incident happened in Sandton.
He alleges that the attackers, disguised as robbers, assaulted his convoy, saying their motives appeared to go beyond mere robbery.
According to the online publication, Bushiri received intelligence that forewarned him of the imminent danger to his life and upon acting on this intelligence, was able to avert the inevitable after switching cars with some of his followers.
“Being shot on the pulpit because he was a prophet, in the pretext of robbery. The same tricks they used on me on February 7th 2020 in Sandton as they rampaged my convoy. Luckily, we had intelligence and they did not find me in the cars. Surprisingly, they robbed nothing from my people,” Bushuri told the publication.
The fugitive prophet and his wife, Mary Bushiri were arrested in October 2022, and subsequently smuggled out of South Africa in Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera’s hired jet.
No monies were ever paid out to congregants.
However, the former member of Bushiri’s security team who did not want to be named, denies any claims of an intelligence-driven avoidance of the incident saying there is no proof of such an incident having taken place or cars being switched.
“This man is a liar. He has lost credibility and is using the media in his home country to spew propaganda. He claims that after avoiding this attack, his attackers left without taking anything from his team and followers who had exchanged the vehicles with him. This must be the biggest lie ever. How do you plan to attack a man who was as heavily followed as Bushiri? It can’t be true.”
The Malawi publication also made similar claims, saying when the attackers discovered that Bushiri was not in his vehicle, they departed without stealing anything from his followers who were present.
Bushiri was reacting to the shooting of a Randburg pastor, Pastor Dwayne Gordon, who had been invited as a guest speaker, and was shot dead in October last year, saying he too almost had a similar attack against him while he was still in South Africa.
“The first incident happened three months before a gunman stormed our church, charging to the pulpit while I was preaching. Thank God our security managed to intercept him. Not once.
“Losing this young prophet, is something that was not supposed to have happened. We all know the agenda and who is behind this – fellow men of God who are hoarding their members. To all Prophets of God there in South Africa, stay safe. Our prayers are with you.
“We have lost almost eight prophets since I left South Africa due to such pulpit killings. Sad. And someone should still be asking me why I left South Africa? Insane! And someone still wants me to go back there? Keep dreaming,“ he said in October.
The Star
siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za