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Prophet Shepherd Bushiri’ s Bail Application Postponed.
Leader of the Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 26 October 2020, together with his wife Mary and three co-accused when the matter was postponed to Friday, 30 October 2020 for accused 1, Willah Joseph Mudolo, to furnish reasons why he should be released on bail.The postponement is also to enable the state to present its evidence against the bail applications of all five accused and for judgment. The reason for the lengthy postponement is that the court is not available on the other days.
Earlier in the day, accused 2, Zethu Mudolo, who is accused 1’s wife, presented evidence through an affidavit stating that she is innocent of all the charges against her and that she believed that she will be acquitted of all charges when the matter eventually goes on trial. She stated further that, it is not in the interest of justice for her to be kept in custody as she has two minor children, one of whom is nine months old, breastfeeding, to look after.
Willah Mudolo and Zethu Mudolo are the directors of Rising Estate, an investment company allegedly at the center of the investment scheme through which investments valued at 102 million rands from ECG members were channeled. The matters came to the attention of the South African Police when some church members, who made the investments, complained that they were not receiving their returns as promised since 2017.
Accused no 6, Lindiwe Ntlokwana, stated in court papers that she is self employed as a financial consultant with a Master of Commerce Degree from the University of Cape Town and runs her own financial literacy firm, GTT Wealth. She states further that she has volunteered her accountancy skills to the Church on a part time basis.
Supporters of Prophet Bushiri once again arrived in their thousands to support him during his court appearance on Monday 26 October 2020. The bail applications will proceed on Friday, 30 October 2020. The accused will remain in police custody. In the meantime, the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, has stated on radio that the permanent residence permits of Prophet Sherpherd Bushiri and his wife appear to have been granted unlawfully as the Hawks have drawn their attention to certain discrepancies in the applications for the permits, which would make the Bushiris to be illegal in South Africa. The state is likely to raise this issue when it responds to the application for bail on the 30th of October 2020.
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