Bushiri will be extradited from Malawi, SA Justice Minister Lamola says
South Africa’s Justice Minister Ronald Lamola has weighed on the escaping of bail conditions by self-proclaimed Prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary.
Bushiri informed his followers and church that he has safely arrived in Malawi, having decided to skip bail conditions for safety reasons. He also chided the South African government for not affording him security and a fair trial to stand in court.
Part of Bushiri’s statement read, ‘
I would like to inform the general public that my wife, Mary, and I are temporarily in our home country, Malawi, because of safety and security issues since 2015. These matters have gotten worse after we just got both our bails.
There have been clear and evident attempts to have me, my wife and my family killed and despite our several attempts to report to authorities, there has never been State protection.
Our coming to Malawi, hence, is a tactical withdrawal from the Republic of South Africa solely meant to preserve our lives.
These attempts have been heightened with recent spates of arrests and detentions that we felt the only way for us to clear our names before the law is to ensure that our lives are preserved. My wife and I strongly believe in our innocence but this cannot be proved if our lives are not preserved. We have to be alive to testify to our innocence.”
Lamola took to Twitter to inform South Africans, who seem to need assurance that Bushiri can be extradited because of the agreement they have with Malawi.
“Malawi is a signatory of the SADC protocol and other legal instruments on extraditions. We will not hesitate to invoke these provisions and instruments to assist law enforcement agencies to extradite fugitives of justice,” Lamola wrote.
Bushiri’s extradition from Malawi is possible, SA Justice Minister Lamola says