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Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola has expressed confidence in the government’s efforts to extradite self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri from Malawi to face fraud and money laundering charges in South Africa.
Bushiri, a Malawian national, fled South Africa in November 2020 while out on bail after being charged with fraud, money laundering, and contravention of the Prevention of Organized Crime Act. His escape prompted the initiation of extradition proceedings through the existing extradition treaty between South Africa and Malawi.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Lamola stated that South African authorities remain committed to seeing the extradition case through to its conclusion. “Our officials and the NPA will be in Malawi ready to testify to bring Bushiri back to South Africa,” he said.
Last week, a delegation from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Department of Justice traveled to Malawi to provide testimony in the extradition hearing. The matter was subsequently postponed to May.
According to Lamola, once the proceedings in Malawi have concluded, a magistrate will rule on whether Bushiri is eligible for extradition. The final decision will then rest with Malawi’s Minister of Justice, who will determine if Bushiri should be surrendered to South African authorities.
“We have decided that we will follow the matter through to its logical conclusion, and once that is concluded, he will definitely be coming back to South Africa to account,” Lamola affirmed.
Bushiri’s alleged offenses relate to an investment scheme that defrauded investors of over R100 million. He and his wife Mary were arrested by the Hawks in 2020 but released on bail, leading to their subsequent flight from the country.