By Themba Hlophe and Owen Khamula
Johannesburg – Thousands of embattled Prophet Shepherd Bushiri’s supporters are moving to a new spiritual home.
At last night’s ’’Holy Ghost service’’ in Johannesburg, Prophet DD Isaac, one of Bushiri’s assembly of pastors, was the recipient of Bushiri’s multitudes.
Bushiri’s followers seemed undeterred by their leader’s troubles, with many of them still advocating his innocence. Bushiri is currently in Malawi but it is still unclear how he got there.
Isaacs said his church and that of his spiritual father (Bushiri) were determined to keep praying for their father.
“The gospel will continue to be preached in all the nations. This season will pass,” Isaacs said.
Isaacs is believed to be the man who will replace Bushiri in South Africa because he has a similar “prophetic gift”.
Bushiri, who fled South Africa for Malawi days after being granted bail, told his Facebook followers on Saturday that he was a law-abiding citizen who had no intention to evade standing trial on the fraud charges against him.
According to Bushiri, he reported the threats to various ministers and high-ranking law enforcement officials, including former state security minister Bongani Bongo and former intelligence boss Arthur Fraser, and even took the matter to police watchdog Ipid, where Bushiri claims the same police officers who he had laid complaints against subsequently arrested him for fraud committed by individuals connected to his Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) church.
He says that he, along with his partners, raised over R50 million to help people swindled by the unnamed individuals.
In Lilongwe, dozens of Bushiri’s followers trooped to the Lilongwe Magistrate’s Court where Bushiri and his wife Mary were expected to appear after their arrest on Wednesday morning following an Interpol warrant of arrest.
People wearing black T-shirts with the words ’’HANDS OFF BUSHIRI’’ gathered near the court's entrance.
In a statement, Malawi police spokesperson James Kadadzera says police officers launched a manhunt for the Bushiris following a warrant of arrest issued by Interpol in Pretoria on Monday this week .
Meanwhile, four lawyers have withdrawn from representing the Bushiris. Bushiri initially enlisted the services of four private lawyers – Lusungu Gondwe, Noel Chalamanda, Bright Theu and Khumbo Soko – to bring his bail application.
It is still unclear why the legal representatives withdrew from the Bushiri case.
Political Bureau