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Armed people robbed attendees who had assembled for a vigil at a South African church led by self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri. The event occurred over the weekend during the Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) in the country’s Mpumalanga province, according to the BBC.
Congregants informed police that they were waiting for other members inside the church when three armed individuals entered and robbed them of their phones, money, and bank cards. The burglars also stole a car from a member of the congregation before leaving it.
According to police, the bandits demanded the attendees to reveal their bank card pin information before fleeing the area. The province’s authorities have already initiated an investigation into the incident.
Shepherd Bushiri is a divisive self-proclaimed prophet noted for his extravagant lifestyle. Bushiri returned to Malawi from South Africa in 2020 after evading bail on fraud allegations. According to the controversial prophet, he returned to his own country for security reasons.
But this was not Bushiri’s first run-in with the law in South Africa. In 2019, the prophet and his wife were arrested and accused with fraud, money laundering, and violating the Prevention of Organized Crime Act for offenses committed between 2015 and that time. After a week of being wanted for a witchcraft forecast he made at his church in 2016, Bushiri reported himself to Pretoria police in 2018.
Botswana authorities also closed down his church in January 2018 for violating the country’s rules with his “miracle money” system. The term “miracle money” refers to the unexplained appearance of money in people’s bank accounts, handbags, and pockets who have been “blessed” by “men of God.”
Bushiri leads a luxury lifestyle that is thought to be supported by his several churches spread over Africa. Aside from the “miracle money,” Bushiri claims to have healing abilities and the ability to “walk on air.”
