+34“I am always getting information that I am under investigations and if I give a certain amount of money, I will be let free. It’s tiring. This is blackmail and extortion,” said Bushiri .
Johannesburg - The embattled leader of the popular Enlightened Christian Gathering church, self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri, on Friday said despite the allegations of rape being probed against him, he will be exonerated by South Africa’s justice system as he is innocent.
“I am not a flight risk. I am not going anywhere. I will be here in South Africa until justice is done. I believe in the integrity of this country’s justice system. I believe in the great leadership of this government,” said the charismatic preacher. "It’s my prayer that, one day, all of us will be free from being extorted and blackmailed through unlawful investigations.” In a televised address to his congregants, Bushiri said in the past three years, he has been a victim of “unlawful and unconstitutional investigations driven by extortion and blackmail” at the hands of corrupt law enforcement officers in South Africa. “I am always getting information that I am under investigations and if I give a certain amount of money, I will be let free. It’s tiring. This is blackmail and extortion,” said Bushiri. In the latest startling accusations, two unidentified women this week spoke to broadcaster eNCA, accusing Bushiri of luring them to the plush Sheraton Hotel in Pretoria supposedly to pray, only for him to allegedly rape them. In the televised interviews, one of the two women told eNCA that Bushiri would regularly stare at her during the church services and sometimes stood next to her during his packed sermons. Not long after that, an “elder” in the ECG allegedly approached her and told her Bushiri wanted to meet her at the hotel “to pray”.The preacher narrated that there has been several threats on his life by people with intention to harm, injure or kill him. He said sometimes his life has been threatened in church and elsewhere. He said the attempts on his life have been reported to law enforcement agencies in South Africa, including during a meeting with South African Police Service national commissioner General Khehla Sitole, which was followed by another meeting with former state security minister Bongani Bongo. “In 2018, I took up the matter and reported this conduct to several state institutions. To be exact, on or about 15 February 2018, I met national commissioner of police General Khehla Sitole, the commissioner who then referred me to minister of state security, whom I then met on 25 February 2018,” said Bushiri. The preacher accused the SA National Civic Organisation Tshwane chairman Abram Mashishi as the mastermind behind his many woes. Bushiri and Sanco have been at loggerheads after a fatal stampede happened during a heavy rainstorm as congregants ran for shelter at the Pretoria Events Centre, rented by the ECG for church services. At least 17 other congregants were injured. Patricia Pringane, Matshila Sarah Mohlala and Lehlogahlo Maria Segodi died in the incident. In the aftermath, Sanco led massive protests outside the ECG church premises, calling for the church to be expelled from the Pretoria venue and for Bushiri to be deported back to Malawi. Bushiri said Mashishi has been using the incident to demand money from him, allegations rubbished by the Sanco leader. “I resisted every extortion and blackmail attempt from and because of that, even after CRL Commission exonerated ECG Church with regards to the 2018 stampede, Mr Mashishi has been on the campaign of taking different girls to different media houses to accuse me of rape. He actually confirmed himself of doing such,” he said. Mashishi hit back at the ECG, saying the church is in"a desperate attempt to divert attention from the leader of a corrupt and criminal organisation like ECG". "We encourage him to open a case of such extortion if he truly has evidence of this alleged extortion so that law enforcement can take its course," said Mashishi in a statement.
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