Bushiris' year in review: Time behind bars, preaching and many charges

- Shepherd and Mary Bushiri have made headlines many times throughout 2020

- From charges of fraud and money laundering to spending time behind bars, they've truly done the most

- Briefly.co.za takes a look back at some of the top Bushiri stories for the year of 2020

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Self-proclaimed Prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary made headlines a lot last year after they were exposed for fraud and money laundering. The controversial religious leaders are still in Malawi after fleeing South Africa.

The Bushiris and their followers have made the news for multiple different reasons. Whether its fans listening to Shepherd blindly or standing up for him after charges of fraud and money laundering, Bushiris followers had many SAns questioning their undying loyalty.

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Briefly.co.za compiled a few of the top Bushiri stories that made headlines in 2020.

In October the Bushiris spent a weekend behind bars. This after the Pretoria Magistrate made the decision to reserve judgement for bail a week later.

The controversial church leaders were also found to be living in South Africa illegally after it was discovered that they used a number of falsified documents to both extend their stay in the country and open a number of businesses.

The home affairs officials who allegedly issued Bushiri and his wife with permanent residence were also suspended in 2020. Shepherd and Mary are not South African citizens, they are citizens of Malawi. The couple were issued with notices that their application for permanent residence was incorrectly granted.

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Bushiri also had many South Africans scratching their heads after a clip of him "preaching" was shared online. In the clip, Bushiri calls a lady up and proceeds to ask her if she is working or if she is a student.

He then brings her to the front of the congregation. Once there, he asks for permission to enter her house. Bushiri then proceeds to describe, in detail, what her house looks like from the outside before making his way inside. Take a look at the peculiar clip below:

The Bushiris made a quick escape to their home country and in the process, they lost their mansion after it was forfeited to the state. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Sipho Ngwema explained that the luxurious home would be placed on auction, commenting further that:

“The state will have to auction it so that it realises its value and the money will be given to the fiscus."

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2020 also saw Bushiri facing arrest for over three sexual assault charges. This after two young women came forward and shared their horrifying stories about the self-proclaimed prophet. The leader of the Enlightened Christian Gathering Church is being investigated by the police for sexual assault, to add on to his alleged fraud and money laundering charges.

Briefly.co.za also reported on the Enlightened Christian Gathering church distancing themselves from Shepherd after a vehicle was seized. The vehicle belonging to the ECG Church was intercepted at the Zimbabwean border.

A 35-year-old suspect is set to appear in the Musina Magistrates court after being placed under arrest at the Beitbridge border.

The arrest was made by the Hawks division, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation’s (DPCI) Serious Organised Crime Investigation.

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Source: Briefly News