After a bad week for Shepherd and Mary, a prophecy: Major 1 is staying

Over the past few weeks controversial pastor Shepherd Bushiri has made headlines that have put him and his Enlightened Christian Gathering church in the spotlight.

From his arrest, to his court appearance and his post-arrest debut at the church, here's a look at Bushiri's tumultuous week.

Arrests

On February 1, Bushiri and his wife Mary were arrested at a hotel in Rustenburg on charges relating to money laundering, fraud and the contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act involving foreign currency of more than R15m.

Court appearance

Members of the Enlightened Christian Gathering and Bushiri supporters protested outside of the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria on February 4. 

The supporters held placards, chanted and prayed for their release, with others threatening not to vote in the upcoming elections. Pastor Paseka "Mboro" Motsoeneng arrived at the court, urging Bushiri's supporters to respect the police. 

Bushiri calls on Barry Roux 

According to reports, the couple had hired well-known advocate Barry Roux who represented girlfriend killer Oscar Pistorius in his sensational murder trial.

TimesLIVE reported that Roux doesn't come cheap: the couple would have to fork out about R50,000 a day on legal fees, the news site said.

Bushiris out on bail 

On February 6 the Bushiris were granted bail of R100,000 each and the matter was postponed to May 10.

Post-release address 

After his release Bushiri addressed his supporters via the Prophetic Channel and Facebook live feed. 

Bushiri said that he and the Enlightened Christian Gathering church had been under immense orchestrated attacks in which he was forced to fight one controversy after another in a matter of weeks. 

In December 2018, three people died at Bushiri's church campus in Pretoria after a stampede at an evening service. This led to protests outside the church, with residents calling for it to shut down.

Back to the pulpit 

On February 10, Bushiri returned to preaching at his church in Pretoria and reassured his congregation of thousands that he is not going anywhere.

"As you leave this place, you must leave with this information. Major 1 is staying. It is done. It doesn't matter what people are saying about you. Major 1 has said it is done," he added.