South African witnesses in the extradition case involving Prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary are scheduled to start testifying at the Chief Resident Magistrate Court in Lilongwe from April 18, 2023.

Both the state and the defense have confirmed the development saying the court has communicated the set date.

In a telephone interview, senior assistant chief state advocate, Dziko Malunda said the defense has also served the state with an application to be served with disclosures 21 days before date of hearing.

Defense lawyer Wapona Kita also confirmed that the defense is yet to be served with the documents.

Said Kita: “Whether the hearing will proceed on that date will depend on when they [state] serve us with their revised extradition docket and whether we will have had enough time to prepare. ”

The hearing follows a ruling by the High Court in Lilongwe on February 13 2023 to the effect that the witnesses should testify physically before the lower court.

Bushiri and his wife fled South Africa in November 2020 after the authorities in that country started prosecuting them. They were released on court bail and they jumped bail and fled to Malawi.

Source:NPL