Emerging reports surrounding Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) leader and founder Prophet Shepherd Bushiri are indicating that he is protected under United Nations protocol, Mpho Tsedu Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Institute of Foreign Affairs reveal.
According to Tsedu this is so because there are reports that that the prophet and his wife prophetess Mary Bushiri was issued a diplomatic passport by the Malawi Government of which its constitution protects holders of diplomatic passports from being extradited unless the person is wanted for treason related charges.
After making the revelations Tsedu advised the South African government to start focusing on pressing issues that the country is facing, but of course without completely ruling out that the fleeing of the Bushiris form the Rainbow Nation to Malawi is embarrassing and it exposes how weak the policing activities of the country are.
“While the manner in which Bushiri mysteriously left South Africa has to be condemned, one cannot help but note the various opinions this matter has solicited from scholars of politics and international relations” he said.
Commenting on the Bushiri scandal, Professor Lesiba Teffo of University of South Africa said that South Africa is no a strong moral ground citing examples of how they handled cases involving Zimbabwe’s former first lady Grace Mugabe, Al Bashir and the Guptas adding that things like those make South Africa to look like a “banana republic”
“Bushiri saga just shows that we are not equal before the law,” he said.
On the other hand, South Africa’s political analyst from the Tshwane University of Technology Levy Ndou, said South Africa has to pursue the matter diplomatically because the Malawian government is not likely to bring Bushiri back.
On the same subject, University of Johannesburg’s Dr Ralph Mathekga says South Africa is supposed to provide leadership in the region and on the continent but the decay in the justice and criminal system is worrisome.
“It is bad for Malawi government if Bushiri was truly smuggled by his President but South Africa must be embarrassed that they cannot police their borders.” Said Mathekga.
When all has been said and done, Tsedu alluded that South Africa failed to handle the Bushiris matter well which led to all those loop holes and pointing fingers to the Rainbow Nation and that claims made by Bushiri that he will not be able to receive fail trial in South Africa might be true.
“The people of South Africa and of the whole world are now left with more questions than answers. With those unanswered questions are speculative conjectures that unfortunately are not weighing in South Africa’s favor,”
He added; “As briefly alluded above, the diplomatic status which is now in effect and enjoyed by the Bushiris means that the two are protected by laws governing diplomatic immunities and privileges, as per the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations. Chances of him being extradited to South Africa are almost zero.”
Bushiri and his wife who are answering charges of fraud and money laundering fled South Africa two weeks ago violating bail conditions which the Pretoria Magistrate Court gave the couple after they spent over two weeks in custody.
When he arrived in the country Bushiri issued a press statement in which he said leaving South Africa does not mean that he has run away but rather he is fearing for his life and of his family alleging that there have been attempts to have him and his wife killed on several occasions.
The couple was later released unconditionally by Lilongwe Magistrate Court in Malawi after the handed themselves over to the Malawi Police after a warrant of arrest was issued against the two by the International Police (Interpol) on the ground that the couple was illegally arrested.
Meanwhile, South African government has issued three fresh warrants of arrest for Bushiri on the allegations that he raped three women of which Bushiri said he is not shocked with the arrests.
