Prophet Bushiri wins extradition battle against South African government

Mapaballo Borotho

Prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary have won their extradition case against South Africa in the Malawi High Court.
The court set aside an earlier order allowing their extradition to face fraud and money laundering charges.
The ruling means the couple will not be sent back to South Africa to stand trial.

Self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary, have won the extradition case against the South African government. The High Court in Malawi confirmed this on Friday, 31 October 2025.

The Court set aside the 12 March 2025 order made by the South African government to trial Bushiri for many offences leveled against him, including fraud. The ruling had ordered the extradition of Bushiri and his wife, Mary.

The Court ruled that South Africa’s magistrate’s decision to extradite does not follow from the premise that extradition is sought.

“The magistrate lacked brevity to stand by the course of justice to dismiss the request entirely for reasons explained above,” the ruling read.

“Dismissing all but three grounds was only a good starting point, we have completed what was omitted to be done.”

This ruling means that Bushiri and his wife will not be sent to South Africa to be tried for charges including fraud and money laundering.

South Africa wants the Malawian couple in connection with a R102 million fraud and money laundering case.

The alleged fraudster couple runs the Enlightened Christian Gathering Church with branches across Africa. They fled to Malawi in November 2020, just days after the Pretoria Central Magistrate’s Court granted them bail of R200 000 each.

Prophet Bushiri WINS extradition case pic.twitter.com/bwtjauBvkj

— Shepherd Bushiri (@psbushiri_) October 31, 2025