{"id":226061,"date":"2021-03-22T16:20:12","date_gmt":"2021-03-22T15:20:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buzzsouthafrica.com\/?p=226061"},"modified":"2021-03-22T16:22:17","modified_gmt":"2021-03-22T15:22:17","slug":"what-happened-to-prophet-shepherd-bushiri-massive-house-and-car-collection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buzzsouthafrica.com\/what-happened-to-prophet-shepherd-bushiri-massive-house-and-car-collection\/","title":{"rendered":"What Happened To Prophet Shepherd Bushiri\u2019s Massive House and Car Collection?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prophet Shepherd Bushiri, popularly known as ‘Major 1’, is the founder of the South African-based church, Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG). He has attracted the attention of a lot of people around the world with his luxurious lifestyle and acrobatic ‘miracles.’ Prophet Bushiri is one of the spiritual sons of UK-based clergy, Prophet Uebert Angel, and is speculated to be among the richest pastors in Africa and also one of the most affluent people in South Africa.<\/p>\n

Since 2015, the prophet had faced a lot of career-threatening controversies but finally, in 2019, he started facing what looks like one of the most serious scandals that led to his arrest (with his wife, Mary Bushiri) on February 1, 2019. They were released days later, on February 6. However, Prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife were re-arrested in October 2020 on fresh charges. He consequently jumped bail and fled South Africa to his home country, Malawi, where he was also arrested in November 2020.<\/p>\n

Before His Arrest, Prophet Shepherd Bushiri Lived an Extravagant Lifestyle<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Before his arrest by South Africa’s Directorate for Priority Investigations also called HAWK and subsequent disappearance from the country, Prophet Bushiri had been able to build a net worth of $150 million and is known for wearing expensive designer shoes and suits, some of which are coated in diamonds. Bushiri also owns a fleet of very expensive cars like a Royce Rolls, Aston Martins, and Mercedes Benz. He also owns expensive houses, hotels, and some businesses which he claims are the sources of his wealth.<\/p>\n

\"Prophet<\/a><\/p>\n

In 2017, Bushiri gifted his five-year-old daughter a Maserati luxury vehicle, a very unconventional gift to give a five-year-old. Bushiri also owns private jets. It is important to note that his acquisition of the jet is one of the reasons he and his wife are currently undergoing trial.<\/p>\n

Bushiri Was Arrested For Fraud and Money Laundering<\/strong><\/h2>\n

On the 1st of February 2019, Bushiri and his wife were arrested at their R1.3 billion South African resort, Sparkling Waters Hotel and Spa, in Rustenburg, the North West, for money laundering, fraud, and theft. He was also arrested for contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA), which he was said to have committed in 2015. As a result of his arrest, his church members launched a protest on the streets of South Africa, claiming that their pastor had been arrested because he is rich. They even threatened to boycott the country’s elections, if he was not released.<\/p>\n

Before his arrest, a lot of controversies surrounded Prophet Shepherd Bushiri. In 2015, he was said to have contravened<\/a> exchange control regulation by paying a swooping sum of $1,147,200 in cash as part payment for his private jet.<\/p>\n

\"Prophet<\/a><\/p>\n

In 2017, Bushiri allegedly told members of his church he wanted to make them millionaires, and all they needed to do was invest R100,000 and in 30 working days, they would get back 50% interest. Typically, a lot of members heeded the call and invested, however, to date, no one has received any payment of any kind.<\/p>\n

In December 2018, during one of his weekly services which usually has thousands of people in attendance, there was a thunderstorm and while people were trying to find shelter, about three women died as a result of a stampede and before the police arrived at the scene, the bodies had been taken to a private mortuary and the service held as though nothing had happened. The church was later shut down for about four weeks after which they resumed normal activities.<\/p>\n

Again, the prophet was accused of transporting an estimated sum of R15 million to his home country, Malawi, every month with his private jet, an accusation that he denied. All these and more prompted the HAWKs to launch an investigation against Prophet Shepherd Bushiri in 2018. After his arrest, he faced the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria, and on the 6th of February 2019, he and his wife were granted bail of R100,000 each.<\/p>\n

His Assets in South Africa Were Seized By the Authorities<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In the course of their ongoing trial, Bushiri and his wife violated bail conditions and fled to his home country Malawi, claiming their lives were no longer safe in South Africa. The couple actually handed themselves over to the police in Malawi, after which they were arrested and released on the premise that their arrest in Malawi was illegal. For violating bail conditions, Prophet Bushiri’s properties were confiscated.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In 2019, before Bushiri’s escape to Malawi, the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) already had its eyes on his luxurious cars and houses as they had already started seeking permission to seize these prized assets, including the private jet. As a result of violating their bail conditions, the state magistrate ruled that Prophet Shepherd Bushiri has forfeited his mansion in Pretoria worth R5.5 million ($350,000; \u00a3260,000) which was tied to their bail. This house had several of Bushiri’s expensive luxury automobile collections in it, including include:<\/p>\n

Rolls-Royce Ghost – R9.92 million<\/strong><\/h3>\n