Shepard Bushiri's daughter Israella (8) passes away
Self-proclaimed prophet Shepard Bushiri confirmed on Monday that his daughter Israella has passed away in a hospital in Kenya.
Israella Bushiri was hospitalised with a lung infection in Nairobi in March.
"As a Father, it was my desire to see her growing and living to fulfil the purpose the Lord had called her for," Bushiri said in a statement on Monday.
"Israella was born during a time when my wife and I were going through great persecution, she has grown knowing nothing but labor and the fight and the pain, despite through in serving god."
Bushiri has accused authorities in Malawi of preventing his daughter from flying to Nairobi to receive treatment.
"When I spoke to the Doctor, he highlighted that if she had not been blocked at the airport the first time she needed to travel to Kenya for medical assistance, she wouldn’t have passed on.
"It is very disheartening and sad, therefore, that my daughter has become a victim of the persecutions that we are facing from South Africa.
"However, my wife and I, bow to God’s sovereignty and as this is his will, it could have happened anyway."
The prophet and his wife Mary, fled to Malawi at the end of last year, saying they would not receive a fair trial in South Africa.
The South African government has issued warrants of arrest for the couple and filed an extradition request with Malawian authorities.
