Founder and leader of Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG), Prophet Shepherd Bushiri, on Saturday night handed himself to the South African police in Pretoria where the law enforcers obtained a warning statement from him relating to a case of crimen injuria.
One of Bushiri’s handlers, Ephraim Nyondo confirmed the police incident Sunday.
Crimen injuria is a wilful injury to someone’s dignity by the use of obscene or racially offensive language or gestures.
Nyondo, who is Director of Communications, said Bushiri is facing crimen injuria charges following an accusation by a Rustenburg businesswoman, Lebogang Mpane that he had called her a witch live on television in one of his prophetic sermons.
“It’s true [that he handed himself to the police]. The charge has been there for some time. So, after performing a number of activities in the country, he flew back to meet the police who were looking for him. I think he arrived at the police station around 6pm,” he said.
Bushiri’s handing himself to the law enforcers comes barely a week after his pastors and guards fought police at his church on Thursday, according to South African tabloid — Sunday World.
The tabloid reported that police visited the church building on Thursday to obtain a warning statement from the prophet relating to a case of laid against him by Rustenburg businesswoman, Lebogang Mpane.
Last month, Mpane laid a criminal complaint against Bushiri after claiming that he had called her a witch live on TV in one of his prophetic sermons.
The flamboyant Man of God is reported to have been accompanied by his lawyer Ntsako Baloyi, who apparently had to defuse a scuffle between police and Bushiri’s pastors and guards who had told the officers he was out of the country.
Bushiri is also under investigations by the elite police unit called the Hawks who have been investigating him for alleged money laundering offences.
South African media claim that Bushiri has been illegally been moving 15 million rands a month from South Africa to Malawi
They allege the money leaves in vehicles including his private jet.
They also claimed that Bushiri orchestrates carefully planned false miracles as part of his services, while his collaborators are now apparently demanding to be paid more for playing their part in his alleged duping of the faithful.
Back home, the civil society organisations (CSOs) last month condemned the the South African Government, accusing it of harassing the prophet for his success in business.
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