Fugitive Prophet Shepherd Bushiri has in an exclusive interview last night revealed how he left South Africa where he faces money laundering, fraud and corruption charges.
The alleged escape of Major 1, as he is fondly called by his follower, nearly caused a diplomatic row between Malawi and South Africa. Several South African politicians and media houses alleged that the controversial prophet was smuggled using President Lazarus Chakwera’s presidential jet.
Bushiri’s escape was discovered just a few hours before Chakwera’s departure for Malawi in his maiden official trip as President to the rainbow nation. The mysterious escape resulted in the Malawian president being detained for several hours before being cleared to take off by South African intelligence officials.
Fugitive Prophet Shepherd Bushiri Reveals How He Escaped South Africa |
Bushiri is currently in his home country Malawi where he is fighting extradition to South Africa. He revealed his arrival just a few hours after Chakwera’s plane touched down at the Kamuzu International Airport around 1am on Friday.
It has been reported in an alleged comprehensive work of investigation by the Sunday Independent that Bushiri, together with his alleged partner-in-crime wife, Mary Bushiri, applied cosmetics like spy agents in the cold-war era to escape detection when they left South Africa.
The paper, while fingering out Chakwera’s direct involvement claimed in its report that the Malawi government issued the two fugitives new diplomatic passports before being smuggled in President Chakwera’s chartered presidential jet. In its report, the paper alleged that President Chakwera was aware of the plot and gave it a green light.