Mary Bushiri

Mary Bushiri is the wife of Malawian businessman and preacher Shepherd Bushiri who is the founder and leader of Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) church. Mary and her husband are wanted by South Africa on money laundering, theft and fraud charges.

Background

Mary Bushiri was born Mary Zgambo.

Mother

Magdalena Zgambo^[1]

Children

Daughters Israella and Raphaella.^[1]

Events

2019 Arrest

On 1 February 2019, Mary Bushiri and her husband were arrested at a hotel in Rustenburg, in the North West, by the Hawks for fraud, money laundering and contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA), committed from 2015, in relation to Exchange Control Regulations related to foreign currency.

The Hawks said the arrest followed an investigation that was launched in 2018. The Bushiris appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria on charges of money laundering and fraud. The matter was postponed to 6 February 2019. On 6 February, the couple was granted R100 000 bail each. On 9 May 2019, the Bushiris appeared before the Pretoria Commercial Crime Court and their case was postponed due to security concerns.

Then Hawks spokesperson, Hangwani Mulaudzi, said the move was to avoid commotion outside the court, especially since South Africa was still preparing for the general elections.

Her husband Sherpherd Bushiri urged his followers to vote after some of them threatened to boycott the elections because of his arrest.

Bushiri's trial started on 27 July 2020. The State asked for a postponement citing COVID-19 as the reason.

The State said that some witnesses were in isolation, including an investigating officer, who was supposed to take the stand.

However, the Bushiris’ legal team opposed the state’s application, arguing that their clients were entitled to a speedy trial. They also argued that prolonged postponements were in violation of the Bushiris' constitutional rights.

Following arguments from both sides, the court granted a pre-trial conference to be held on 16 October 2020. The court said it had taken into consideration the state’s reasoning regarding the application for postponement, as well as the Bushiris' argument opposing the application.^[2]

Fraud & Money Laundering

On October 21, 2020, Shepherd Bushiri hands himself over to the police station in Silverton, Pretoria. Reports say his Mary Bushiri was arrested the previous day at the couple’s Sandton residence in Johannesburg.

The couple is accused of fraud and money laundering totalling R102 million, along with two other suspects who were arrested in Johannesburg. The other suspects are Landiwe Ntlokwana, Willah Mudolo, and Zethu Mudolo.

The case is different to the one the couple was already on trial for, but it is on the same charges.^[2]

The Bushiris were released on bail after being charged with fraud and money laundering. Crime investigators say the case involves 102 million South Africa rand. Bushiri and his wife appeared at Pretoria's Magistrates Court on 21 October 2020 to hear the charges and was granted bail on 4 November 2020. Despite the fact that the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court initially regarded the Bushiris a flight risk, they were granted R200 000 bail each on condition that they hand in their passports and report to the nearest police station every Monday and Friday.

The trial is expected to start in May 2021. The South African government said it had initiated the process to secure the extradition of the Bushiris in terms of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Extradition and other legal instruments, which Malawi is a signatory.^[3]^[2]

Escape from South Africa

On November 14, 2020, Mary and her husband broke their bail conditions and fled to Malawi. In a televised statement, her husband Shepherd Bushiri said they had left South Africa for security reasons, claiming their lives were in danger. He also outlined a number of conditions that needed to be met by the South African government before their return for trial, accusing those investigating them of bias and saying they should be charged.

It remains unknown how the Bushiris managed to flee undetected. The escape coincided with a visit by Malawian President Lazurus Chakwera to South Africa where he met his counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa.

The departure of Chakwera and his entourage from an airport near Pretoria was delayed for hours after stringent checks by security forces. Both Bushiri and the two countries denied that the preacher escaped through the plane which carried the Malawian officials.

South African authorities confiscated the Bushiris’ $355,000 property for violating their bail conditions and failing to report to the South African police.^[4]