Kubayi: Govt concerned about Bushiri being out of police custody in Malawi pending extradition to SA
Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary are set to be extradited to South Africa following a judgement by a Malawi magistrate.
Malawian preacher Shepherd Bushiri waves at sympathisers as he leaves the Lilongwe Magistrate court on 19 November 2020, after skipping bail in South Africa, and was arrested in Malawi. Picture: AFP
JOHANNESBURG - Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi said government was concerned about controversial self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri being out of police custody in Malawi pending his extradition.
Bushiri and his wife, Mary, are set to be extradited to South Africa following a judgment by a Malawi magistrate.
READ: Malawi court orders Bushiri and his wife to be extradited to South Africa
The couple skipped the country in 2020 while out on bail.
They face charges including rape, violating bail conditions and the Banking Act.
South Africa is ready to re-capture and resume its prosecution of the Bushiri couple but government knows the influential pair is likely to pull all stops before being extradited.
That’s why the justice department said it was ready to oppose their appeal.
But Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi said that Bushiri and his wife were not in police custody.
"It is confirmed that they are not in custody as we thought that they are in custody – the magistrates court said they do not have jurisdiction to hear the bail. In our case, when that would have happened, the person would have remained in custody, so in their territory, it happens differently."
She said if the couple were to flee extradition from Malawi, they would be relying on Interpol for their arrest.