National Prosecuting Authority wants Bushiris' bail formally revoked

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on Monday said it would start the ball rolling on getting the bail of Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary revoked.

NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana told TimesLIVE these processes were expected to unfold soon, but could not say when the matter would be brought before the courts. 

“The state will bring an application in terms of the Criminal Procedure Act for a warrant of their arrest and cancellation of bail,” she said.

The Bushiris made headlines after they announced they had skipped bail and fled SA for their home country of Malawi, citing safety concerns.

They have a pending court case in which they were to answer to allegations of fraud, theft and money laundering involving R102m.

In a statement on Sunday, the government said SA had also initiated a process to secure the extradition of the couple.

Their escape came just days after they were granted bail of R200,000 each by the Pretoria magistrate’s court after spending two weeks behind bars. Their disappearance came to light after they failed to report to the nearest police station, as per their bail conditions.

It was not immediately clear how the couple had left SA undetected .

Speaking to SowetanLIVE at the weekend, home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi said they could have possibly bribed their way out of the country. 

“Leaving a country is not something that is as mpossible as people think. There is always a way to escape if you are a real skelm [rascal].

"In the same way we were able to leave the country during the liberation movement through areas which the boers did not know, somebody can still do that today," he said, adding out that he was angered by the Bushiris fleeing.

He said assessments done by the department showed the Bushiris did not use any of the land, air or sea ports.

“As home affairs, we’ve satisfied ourselves that none of the ports of entries were used.  The rest is for the police and intelligence to see how he left through illegal means,” Motsoaledi said.

TimesLIVE

LISTEN | Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary get bail of R200,000 each

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