Shepherd Bushiri: The Charges, the Escape and the Extradition Fight

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Updated 29 October 2026. Every fact below is dated and attributed to its source.

Who is Shepherd Bushiri?

Shepherd Bushiri is a Malawian preacher, known to followers as "Prophet" and "Major 1", who founded the Enlightened Christian Gathering church in Pretoria, South Africa. In 2020 he and his wife Mary were charged in South Africa with fraud and money laundering in a case investigators valued at R102 million, among other charges he denies. They left South Africa while on bail in November 2020 and have lived in Malawi since. Malawi's High Court set aside an order to extradite them on 31 October 2025. He has not been convicted of any offence.

That last sentence matters, and this page keeps it in view throughout. Charges are allegations. What a believer can weigh now is the public record of what Bushiri has claimed, what he has charged for, and what regulators have done.

Why do so many people follow him?

Picture a young mother in Pretoria in 2017. She cleans offices and sends money home every month. Rent is late again. On a Sunday she joins thousands of people in a packed hall, or a full stadium, and watches a confident young prophet call people out by name, pray over them and promise breakthrough. People testify that money has appeared in their accounts. Some say they were healed. She has never felt so close to a miracle. When the church talks about an opportunity to invest and grow, it sounds like God opening a door at last.

That picture is a composite, built from the reporting below. It explains the pull. Poverty is real, unemployment is high, and a preacher who promises that God will change your finances this week speaks straight to that need. The BBC reported in 2020 that Bushiri "has also been accused of preying on poor people, desperate to improve their lives, by selling merchandise including 'miracle oil'". Those are accusations, reported as such. The need they describe is real either way.

What has Bushiri claimed?

The BBC's profile of 15 November 2020 summarises his public claims: that he has "cured people of HIV, made the blind see, changed the fortunes of the impoverished and, on at least one occasion, appeared to walk on air." He has filled sports stadiums. On New Year's Eve going into 2018 he filled Johannesburg's FNB Stadium (BBC, 10 January 2018).

The BBC also reported, citing South Africa's News24, that in 2017 his ministry charged between R1,000 and R25,000 for tickets to a gala dinner with him. A seat at the prophet's table had a price.

A BBC video published with that 2020 profile carries his own words: "I don't think there is any sickness I can heal, but Jesus Christ can heal." That is his own framing of his ministry, and it is fair to set it beside the claims made in his name.

Why did Botswana shut his church?

In April 2017 Botswana's government said Bushiri would need a visa to enter the country, although Malawians normally do not. In January 2018 it closed his church in Gaborone. The BBC reported on 10 January 2018, citing the Botswana Gazette, that the church's registration had been cancelled and that its use of "miracle money", meaning promises of money appearing as if by magic, broke the country's laws. The church appealed.

The Christian Post reported on 11 January 2018 that Botswana's minister Edwin Batshu said the closure followed continued violations connected to fake "miracle money", and that no ECG branch would be allowed to operate. Bushiri responded on Facebook by asking followers to post their testimonies, writing: "I prophesy that you will have another testimony in Jesus name!"

What is Bushiri charged with in South Africa?

In October 2020 Shepherd and Mary Bushiri were arrested in South Africa. They appeared in the Pretoria Magistrates Court on 21 October and were granted bail on 4 November 2020 (BBC). The BBC reported that they were accused, with two others, of money laundering and fraud, and that "crime investigators say the case involves 102 million South Africa rand".

The charges relate to an alleged investment scheme run through a company called Rising Estate, owned by a co-accused couple (Jacaranda FM, 14 October 2020). People who said they were ECG members told reporters they had been urged in 2017 to invest money that was deposited into the company's account. Bushiri answered on Instagram that they had been recruited by a rival pastor to make false allegations against him (Jacaranda FM).

South Africa's government lists the couple's charges more widely. Its news agency SAnews reported on 3 November 2025 that they have been charged with rape, with contravening the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act, the Banking Act and the Immigration Act, and with violating their bail conditions. Bushiri denies all the charges. This page gives no detail of the allegations, because none has been tested at trial.

The case against the co-accused has moved slowly. The National Prosecuting Authority said the six remaining accused, including the company, would stand trial in the Pretoria High Court from 4 May 2026 on racketeering, money laundering and fraud charges (NovaNews, 1 May 2026). SABC reported on 9 September 2026 that all of them had pleaded not guilty. We do not name them here.

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Why did Bushiri leave South Africa?

On 14 November 2020, ten days after bail was granted on condition that they stay in Gauteng province, the couple were in Malawi. Bushiri explained in a statement: "There have been clear and evident attempts to have myself, my wife and my family killed and... there has never been state protection. Our coming to Malawi, hence, is a tactical withdrawal from the Republic of South Africa solely meant to preserve our lives. We have to be alive to testify" (Al Jazeera, 14 November 2020).

South Africa's response was immediate. The government said it had started the process to bring back "the two fugitives" (BBC, 15 November 2020), and it has used that word since.

What happened to the extradition case?

The extradition request ran for more than four years in Malawi's courts.

• 12 March 2025: the Chief Resident Magistrate's Court in Lilongwe ruled that the couple should be extradited. South Africa's Department of Justice welcomed it the same day and said the pair intended to appeal.
• 31 October 2025: the High Court in Lilongwe set aside that committal order. South Africa's Justice Minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi, said on 1 November 2025 that the government was studying the judgment and "remains steadfast in pursuing all available legal avenues to ensure that justice is ultimately served."
• October 2026: the High Court published its full reasons in a 175-page judgment. Nyasa Times reported on 14 October 2026 that among its findings, the Bushiris "were denied their right to be heard before the extradition order was made", which the court found was enough to invalidate the process. Their lawyer, Wapona Kita, said: "Prophet Bushiri and his wife will no longer be extradited to South Africa under the quashed order," and that "the only way forward now is through an appeal by the State."

Bushiri welcomed the ruling. As summarised by Nyasa Times via allAfrica on 15 October 2026, he said the court agreed with concerns he had raised about a lack of evidence and the fact that "so-called witnesses" remained anonymous, and he said police officers had concocted false charges against him and his wife to extort money. Those are his claims. The published summaries of the judgment rest on the denial of a hearing, a question of procedure, and they do not settle whether the charges are true.

He continues to preach. Nyasa Times reported in September 2026 on a large salvation crusade he was holding in Lilongwe.

How does the money machine work?

Whatever a South African court eventually decides, the public record shows a ministry model that Catholics should recognise and refuse.

• Miracle money. The promise that God will put cash in your account because of a prophet's blessing. Botswana's government treated it as a breach of law.
• Paid access. R1,000 to R25,000 for a gala dinner with the prophet (BBC, citing News24). Proximity to the man of God has a tariff.
• Anointed merchandise. The BBC reported accusations that he sold items including "miracle oil" to poor followers.
• Investment inside the church. South African prosecutors allege a R102 million scheme. Whatever the verdict, the pattern of a congregation being offered investments is dangerous.
• Wealth as proof. The Christian Post reported in January 2018 that he had reportedly bought his five-year-old daughter a Maserati for Christmas. Display tells the crowd the method works.

What is proven, what he said, and what is unknown?

Public record: the 2018 Botswana closure, the 2020 charges and bail, his departure from South Africa, the 2025 extradition order, and the High Court ruling that set it aside.

His own words: that he left to save his life, that the accusers were recruited by a rival, that witnesses are anonymous and the evidence weak, and that "Jesus Christ can heal", not him.

Unknown: whether any of the charges is true, whether Malawi's state will appeal, and whether he will ever stand trial. Until a court rules, he is presumed innocent, and so he is here.

What does the Catholic Church say about prophets like this?

The Catholic Church believes God still works miracles and still gives the gift of prophecy to his people (1 Corinthians 12:10; Catechism of the Catholic Church 799 to 801). It also tells believers to test everyone who claims to speak for God. "Do not despise prophesying, but test everything; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:20 to 21). Our page on the gift of prophecy explains how the Church tells the real gift from the counterfeit.

Two tests apply directly here. The first is money. When Simon Magus offered the apostles money for the power to confer the Spirit, Peter answered: "Your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!" (Acts 8:20). The Church names the sin after him: simony, the buying or selling of spiritual things (Catechism 2121). A blessing that is promised in return for a payment, or sold at a dinner, falls under that warning.

The second is fruit. Jesus said false prophets are known "by their fruits" (Matthew 7:16). Peter warned that "in their greed they will exploit you with false words" (2 Peter 2:3). The fruit Scripture looks for is humility, truth and care for the poor. Sending the poor home poorer is the opposite fruit.

This pattern did not start in Africa. American televangelists sold the same promises first, and our pages on Jim Bakker and Peter Popoff show it. Africa is now the heartland of world Christianity, as our page on Christianity in Africa sets out, and its believers deserve shepherds who feed them. A separate page covers Alph Lukau, a different South African preacher with no connection to Bushiri.

Red flags you can check yourself

• Money is promised as a miracle. No passage of Scripture promises cash in your account in exchange for a prophet's blessing or your seed.
• Access to the man of God is sold. Paid dinners, paid prayer lines, paid "one on one" sessions. Christ never charged for an audience.
• The church offers investments. Any investment pitched inside a congregation should be checked with your country's financial regulator. In South Africa that is the Financial Sector Conduct Authority. If the seller is not registered, walk away.
• Healing claims replace medicine. Claims to cure HIV are dangerous. Keep taking your treatment and pray as well.
• Regulators have already acted. A church closed by a government, a leader barred from a country, a pending fraud case: search before you give.
• Critics are called enemies. When every accusation is answered with "they are attacking the anointing", the leader has made himself unaccountable.

Where is the real power of God found?

The power Bushiri's crowds are looking for is real. It is found where Christ promised it: in the Eucharist, in the forgiveness of sins, in the prayer of the Church and in the care of the poor. None of it costs money. If you need healing, ask your parish priest for the Anointing of the Sick and read our guide to praying for healing. If you need money, the Church's answer is the parish, the Saint Vincent de Paul Society and honest work, and our page on debt and money in the Catholic tradition is a sober place to start.

And pray for Shepherd Bushiri, for his wife, and for everyone involved in this case, accused and accusers alike. Justice belongs to the courts. Mercy belongs to all of us.

Sources

• BBC News, "Botswana shuts 'miracle' pastor Shepherd Bushiri's church", 10 January 2018.
• The Christian Post, "Pastor Who Claims to Walk on Air, Raise Dead, Has Church Shut Down Over 'Miracle Money'", 11 January 2018.
• Jacaranda FM, "Prophet Shepherd Bushiri: What we know about his co-accused", 14 October 2020.
• Al Jazeera, "'Prophet' wanted for fraud flees to Malawi from South Africa", 14 November 2020.
• BBC News, "Shepherd Bushiri: Preacher flees South Africa ahead of fraud trial", 15 November 2020.
• South African Department of Justice, statement welcoming the extradition ruling, 12 March 2025; Minister Kubayi's statement, 1 November 2025.
• SAnews, "Government studying Malawi court's ruling on Bushiri extradition", 3 November 2025.
• NovaNews, "Remaining accused in the Bushiri fraud and money laundering case to stand trial", 1 May 2026; SABC News, 9 September 2026.
• Nyasa Times via allAfrica, "Bushiri Extradition Order Thrown Out As Malawi Court Delivers Final Ruling", 14 October 2026, and summary of 15 October 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Shepherd Bushiri a true man of God?

Only God judges a soul. What a believer can judge is teaching and fruit (Matthew 7:15 to 20). Bushiri has claimed to heal HIV and to walk on air. Botswana closed his church in 2018 over "miracle money". South Africa charged him in 2020 with fraud and money laundering, which he denies, and he left the country while on bail. Weigh those facts against Scripture.

What is Shepherd Bushiri charged with?

He and his wife Mary were charged in South Africa in 2020 with fraud and money laundering in a case investigators valued at R102 million, linked to an alleged investment scheme. South Africa's government also lists charges of rape and of breaching financial advisory, banking and immigration laws, plus bail violations. He denies all of them. None has been tested at trial, and he has not been convicted.

Is Bushiri still wanted in South Africa?

Yes. South Africa says the couple are fugitives who broke their bail conditions in 2020. A Lilongwe magistrate ordered their extradition on 12 March 2025, but Malawi's High Court set that order aside on 31 October 2025 and published its full reasons in October 2026. South Africa's Justice Minister said the government would pursue all available legal avenues.

Why did the Malawi court block Bushiri's extradition?

According to Nyasa Times (14 October 2026), the High Court's 175-page judgment found that Shepherd and Mary Bushiri were denied their right to be heard before the extradition order was made, and that this was enough to invalidate it. The ruling was about procedure. It did not decide whether the charges in South Africa are true.

Why did Bushiri leave South Africa?

He left in November 2020, days after being granted bail of R200,000. He said there had been attempts on his life and that he had no state protection, calling it "a tactical withdrawal" to "preserve our lives", and adding, "We have to be alive to testify" (Al Jazeera, 14 November 2020). South Africa calls the couple fugitives.

What is "miracle money"?

Miracle money is the claim that money appears supernaturally in bank accounts, bags or pockets of people blessed by a preacher. Botswana cited it when it shut Bushiri's Enlightened Christian Gathering church in January 2018. Scripture never teaches it, and the Church calls any attempt to buy or command God's gifts with money simony (Acts 8:20; Catechism 2121).

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