SA Government ‘Diligently’ Working To Extradite Bushiri and Gupta Brothers: “Cases Face Challenges”

SA Government ‘Diligently’ Working To Extradite Bushiri and Gupta Brothers: “Cases Face Challenges”

  • The SA government has confirmed that they are working on the extraditions of Pastor Shepherd Bushiri and Atul and Rajesh Gupta
  • Justice Minister Thembi Simelane said during a media briefing that the cases has not been without numerous challenges
  • Simelane said that her department remains committed to fulfilling its international treaty and extradition obligations

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Government commitments to extraditing Bushiri and Guptas
The SA government has confirmed working to extradite the Gupta brothers and pastor Shepherd Bushiri: Images: Muntu Vilakazi and Amos Gumulira
Source: Getty Images

JOHANNESBURG — The government has announced its plan to extradite controversial pastor Shepherd Bushiri and the Gupta brothers to stand trial in South Africa.

Justice Minister Thembi Simelane announced the government's stance during a media briefing on Friday, 16 August 2024.

Government working to extradite Bushiri and Guptas

Simelane reiterated that South African authorities are working to extradite the fugitives on various charges.

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Bushiri and his wife, Mary, who are in Malawi, fled SA in November 2020 following their arrests and release on R200,000 bail after appearing in court on a host of charges, including theft, fraud and money laundering.

Meanwhile, Atul and Rajesh, sought for their involvement in State Capture, fled South Africa in 2018 amid damning reports about their businesses. The pair are currently in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Simelane said her department is committed to fulfilling its international treaty and extradition obligations.

She said the ongoing efforts to extradite Bushiri, Mary and the Guptas have faced numerous hurdles.

"The cases have not been without several challenges, but we're steadfast in pursuing [justice]. Our teams are following the relevant diplomatic and legal channels to resolve them," said Simelane.

Lesotho nationals' hawker stalls abandoned during Interpol operation

In a recent story, Briefly News reported that a video surfaced online of a Bloemfontein informal trade market deserted and goods left behind by street vendors who allegedly fled from police descending on the area.

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"Haona Batho": Video shows Lesotho nationals' stalls abandoned during Interpol operation in Mangaung

The clip captures the law enforcement activity and shows several abandoned fruit and vegetable stalls on either side of the street.

The person filming narrates the scenes while approaching the stocked stalls, which they note belong to Lesotho nationals.

"Maponisa a teng, guys. Batho ba Lesotho ba baleile. Batlile di maraka tsa bona di le jwalo fela... Baile, guys. Di plating haona batho," they said.

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Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Tshepiso Mametela avatar

Tshepiso Mametela Tshepiso Mametela is a seasoned journalist with eight years of experience writing for online and print publications. He is an evening/weekend editor at Briefly News. He was a general news reporter for The Herald, a senior sports contributor at Opera News SA, and a reporter for Caxton Local Media’s Bedfordview and Edenvale News and Joburg East Express community titles. He has attended media workshops, including the crime and court reporting one by the Wits Justice Project and Wits Centre for Journalism in 2024. He was a member of the Forum of Community Journalists (FCJ) from 2018 to 2020.