Prophet Shepherd Bushiri of Enlighten Christian Gathering (ECG) church has hit back at Paramount Chief Lundu of Chikwawa for banning his church in the area, saying the move is a nonstarter.

Paramount Chief Lundu over the weekend told people who attended the rally organized by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that he does want ECG church in Chikwawa and Nsanje districts.

Lundu accused the church of practicing Satanism and that the church is no longer a savior field but a political ground.

In a strong worded statement seen by Faceofmalawi reporter signed by ECG Public Relations Officer Ephraim Nyirongo, Bushiri said the remarks by Chief Lundu is too strong and a character assassination.

“We, one, view Lundu’s disdaining accusations of our church as strong acts of character assassination. Secondly, threatening to ban our church, which is operating legally, is something every Malawian should be worried about because it shows we have certain individuals who think there above the Constitution.

As ECG, we will not tolerate such provocations and we believe Lundu will, quickly, return to his normalcy so that he appreciates the gravity of his remarks.

“We, therefore, want to make it clear to Lundu, and everybody who shares his thinking, that Malawi, including the area he operates, is a republic, not a kingdom.
Hence, as long as Malawi remains a republic, not a kingdom, our churches will, legally, continue to operate anywhere in Malawi,” reads in part the statement.

Added Nyondo: “We also call on Malawians of goodwill to speak out against any elements in the country that thinks they are above the laws of the country. We all have a duty to safeguard the democracy.”