Bushiri case postponed as hundreds gather outside court
Scores of members
from the Enlightened Christian Gatherings Church protested outside the Pretoria
Commercial Crimes Court in support of controversial Prophet Sheperd Bushiri.
The charismatic church leader and his wife were arrested by the Hawks in a hotel room in Rustenburg on Friday.
The couple made their first appearance in court on Monday on charges of fraud and money laundering.
The case has been postponed to Wednesday.
Hawks spokesperson Hangwani Mulaudzi says both will remain behind bars until a formal bail application is heard.
“The case has been postponed until the 6 February. It’s an agreement between the state and the defense where then, a formal bail application will be made. As we speak the two have been incarcerated and investigations are still ongoing."
Bushiri supporters, who were gathered outside the court building, were not happy with the outcome.
Some could be seen throwing water at a Hawks vehicle before eventually dispersing.
#Bushiri Congregants shout ‘fire’ towards the Hawks vehicle. This after the case was postponed to Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/jr0PzgdOVp
— Jacaranda News (@JacaNews) February 4, 2019
According to the Hawks, the investigation into Bushiri and his wife dates goes back as far as 2015.
“All in all, we are looking at the POCA Act, where we are making allegations that there is money that was used illegally in some of the assets the Bushiri’s have,” says Mulaudzi.