By Aubrey Mothombeni and Ngwako Malatji
Enlighted Christian Gathering leader prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife, prophetess Mary, bolted out of the country after catching a whiff of their third imminent arrest.
Sunday World can authoritatively reveal that the Pretoria High Court had reserved judgment on Friday after the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) approached it to overturn the decision of the Pretoria magistrate’s court that prohibited it to force the duo to make representations within 30 days regarding their permanent residency in South Africa.
Speaking to Sunday World, a source close to the case, said that DHA officials approached the Bushiris and their legal team with notice to make representations about details in their permanent residency applications.
This after they were arrested for money-laundering involving a scheme called Rising Estate in which their church members allegedly lost R102-million.
Bushiris’ legal team opposed this move in court, which dismissed it on August 2 as irrational, unlawful and invalid.
“The legal team blocked that move because it was of the view that the representations would be used against him in the case to deny him bail,” said the mole.
The deep throat further said DHA then went to the high court to appeal the local court’s ruling, which prevented it to force the Bushiris to make representations.
“If those representations are rejected, then their PR [permanent residency] would be revoked. Now if the papers are revoked, they would be declared illegal immigrants in the country and then be arrested and kept in custody until their trial,” said the source.
Bushiris’ lawyer, Ntsako Baloyi, confirmed that the Home Affairs appeal hearing was heard in the Pretoria High Court on Friday.
“I can confirm the case was heard on Friday but I’m not prepared to discuss its merit at the moment,” he said. DHA spokesperson Siyabulela Qoza said “Bushiri rushed to Court to ask that he not be asked to respond to DHA until he appears in Court in May 2021 on a criminal charge of fraud, corruption and money laundering.”
Unfortunately the Court agreed with him that DHA suspends its action until he pleads in the criminal case in May next year.
The DHA however did not agree with the judgment and lodged an appeal on 22 October 2020. This appeal was heard on Friday, 13 November 2020. Judgment has been reserved.
