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Self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri has weighed in on several pressing issues in South Africa, targeting the decline of print media, alleged corruption in the SAPS and the ongoing immigration crisis.
Bushiri’s tenure in South Africa was defined by significant legal controversy. In 2020, he and his wife, Mary, fled to Malawi while out on bail for fraud. He has also faced charges of money-laundering and rape. Though the Malawian High Court set aside an order for the couple’s extradition to South Africa in 2025, his reputation in the country remains that of a “fugitive criminal”.
Taking to Facebook, Bushiri mocked the recent discontinuation of the City Press newspaper, including its digital operations, after 44 years of publication.
“The same newspapers that once rushed to publish headlines such as ‘The end of Bushiri’, along with many other false narratives about me, are today facing their own challenges and closures faster than many expected,” he said.
Bushiri also addressed the alleged rot in the SAPS, highlighting the recent arrests of high-ranking officials. On Sunday, two senior SAPS officials, Maj-Gen Ebrahim Kadwa and Maj-Gen Feroz Khan, were arrested in connection with an alleged illicit precious metals syndicate. They, along with a civilian alleged accomplice, were granted bail of R20,000 each.
Referencing his own legal battles, Bushiri suggested that those who once pursued him are now facing their own reckoning.
“The officials and Hawks generals who allegedly sought to intimidate and persecute me through fabricated cases in South Africa — demanding money in exchange for peace — are now themselves being exposed and arrested on corruption-related charges,” he claimed.
Last, he turned his attention to the recent anti-illegal immigration protests around South Africa. While protesters demand the immediate deportation of undocumented foreigners, critics have condemned the movement as a series of xenophobic attacks specifically targeting fellow Africans.
Bushiri claimed these events highlight his own experiences, saying he was a victim of xenophobia.
“The voices of xenophobia that once targeted me specifically with chants of ‘Bushiri must go back to Malawi’ have now revealed a broader hostility toward foreigners in general, whether documented or undocumented,” he stated.
Bushiri described these developments as a revelation of what he has always spoken out against. “We thank God for continuing to bring truth to light and for exposing what I have consistently spoken about for years. Hatred, injustice, and prejudice are burdens too heavy and too costly for any society to carry for long.”
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