Pastor Mboro on Bushiri couple's arrest: 'I've been praying for justice'

“I've been praying for justice. There has never been a war between prophet Bushiri and myself. I was standing up against corruption, fraud and money laundering.”

This is the response of Incredible Happenings church leader, pastor Mboro Motsoeneng, to reports of the arrest of Mary Bushiri, wife of the leader of Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) church, Shepherd Bushiri.

She was nabbed by the Hawks on Tuesday, while Bushiri later handed himself over to the authorities. This is in connection with money laundering allegations.

“The arrests could not have happened without a spiritual covering,” said Mboro.

“It is not easy to deal with such a man - you need a spiritual covering to fight this. It needed God's divine intervention. SA has been captured and I need people to understand this. It's a spiritual war. I still need your prayers, I still need your support.”

Bushiri’s spokesperson Ephraim Nyondo said the Hawks invited the couple to their offices to discuss investments with a company called Rising Estate.

“As [Bushiri] and lawyers were getting prepared for the 11am appointment, the Hawks went to their house before the 11am appointment and arrested the prophet's wife alone,” said Nyondo.

Bushiri, who initially tried to evade the arrest, later handed himself over.

Hawks spokesperson Col Katlego Mogale confirmed the arrest of two couples, including another pastor and his wife on Saturday, for their alleged involvement in money laundering worth R102m.

He said the couple arrested on Tuesday were expected to appear in the Pretoria magistrate's court “soon”.

Social media users welcomed the arrests. Here's a glimpse at the responses: