Bushiri reflected on his legal battles with the South African government on Friday.
Self-proclaimed prophet and fugitive Shepherd Bushiri has made explosive claims against top security officials, including a “Hawks general” named Sibiya.
The Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) founder, whose real name is Chipiliro Gama, and his wife, Mary Bushiri, expressed relief after the High Court of Malawi overturned a lower court ruling.
On 12 March 2025, the Lilongwe Magistrate’s Court gave the green light to the Bushiris’ extradition to South Africa to face fraud and money laundering charges involving R102 million.
However, the couple appealed, and on Friday, the Malawian high court ruled in their favour, deeming the extradition order unlawful and unconstitutional.
Read the judgment below:
The Bushiris fled to Malawi in November 2020, just days after the duo was granted R200 000 bail each.
South Africa subsequently submitted an extradition request to Malawi in December 2020.
Earlier investigations had revealed that the couple had illegally obtained permanent residency permits in South Africa after applying in 2016.
The scandal led to the dismissal of former Home Affairs chief director Ronney Marhule in May 2022.
Bushiri speaks after Malawi court victory
During a worship service at his church on Friday night, Bushiri reflected on his legal battles with the South African government.
“Tonight has been incredibly amazing to stand here finally and speak with all boldness that the curse which we have been up and down in courts has gone to our favour,” he said.
He recounted moving to South Africa in 2015 to establish his ministry, noting that its success brought “a lot of implications”.
“As the scripture says, we had to pay. These came through persecutions and betrayal.
“Not only that, but also through various moments where our names were tarnished through a smear campaign that was lodged against us.”
Bushiri alleged that in 2016, four “corrupt” Hawks members approached him to solicit money, claiming they “did not hide their intentions”.
He claimed they demanded R12 million if he and his family wanted to remain in South Africa, describing it as a “protection fee”.
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He further stated that he was threatened with arrest, with police vehicles and even a helicopter descending on his church premises.
Attempts to contact the police and Hawks for comment were unsuccessful at the time of publishing. Any updates will be included once received.
Bushiri said he subsequently met a senior police official at the Southern Sun in Pretoria.
“He advised us to beef up our security, citing that he is aware that in South Africa there is a serious cartel and if they don’t get what they want, they may even assassinate us.”
The ECG leader claimed the official then referred him to a former minister and a top State Security Agency (SSA) member, whom he later met.
“To my surprise, despite bringing these serious allegations against these police officers, nothing was done.”
He said the situation escalated when someone allegedly entered his church armed with a pistol, following news of his complaint.
“Several times, people actually confessed that to say they were sent to shoot us,” he further alleged.
Bushiri accuses ‘Sibiya’ of corruption
Bushiri alleged that the demands for money kept increasing, claiming that a “general Sibiya” within the “Hawks” demanded payments to settle his case.
“I remember some of my team members going to have a meeting with this fellow general known as General Sibiya.
“So much money was collected in the name of this general to stop this case,” adding, “It was corruption after another corruption.”
This has sparked speculation by users on social media that he was referring to suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya, who was dismissed in 2015, although he was not explicitly named.
Shadrack Sibiya has not commented on this at the time of publishing.
Bushiri also claimed that he met with an intelligence officer, who referred him to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), which subsequently opened a case.
“An official police case was open with a case number.”
The pastor alleged that Ipid planned to use the money to lure the alleged corrupt officers into a trap, but that someone from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) allegedly tipped them off, leading to his arrest instead.
“They came early in the morning, the same police officers, to arrest us instead.”
IPID and the NPA have not yet responded to requests for comment. This will be included once received.
READ MORE: Bushiri celebrates reduced charges, but can they be reinstated? Malawi’s attorney general explains
He criticised the repeated postponements of his case.
“The more we waited, the more our lives were seriously threatened.”
Bushiri said the bail conditions were themselves a threat, as the “corrupt” officers could monitor their movements.
He recalled a tip-off from one of his pastors that helped him avoid an assassination attempt.
“That was the call that saved my life.”
He added that an attempted attack at a Sandton petrol station in February 2020 prompted his flight to Malawi.
“When we came to Malawi, we were not running away from justice. It was seeking justice.”
South African government reacts
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has noted on the ruling.
The Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Development stated that the South African government is reviewing the judgment to determine its next steps.
“The minister reaffirmed that South Africa remains steadfast in pursuing all available legal avenues to ensure that justice is ultimately served.
“Minister Kubayi expresses confidence in the strength and independence of both South Africa and Malawi’s judicial frameworks, and reaffirmed the importance of continued diplomatic engagement and cooperation between the two countries,” the ministry’s statement reads.
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