- The Bushiris have appeared in court for their extradition matter.
- The State made an application for SA witnesses to appear via video conferencing.
- The magistrate will rule on the application on Tuesday.
Self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary appeared in the Lilongwe Magistrate's Court on Friday morning.
A string of South African witnesses were expected to testify on Friday, but this could not happen for logistical reasons, including third wave Covid-19 fears and the ages of some of the witnesses.
This comes after Magistrate Patrick Chirwa previously ruled that South African witnesses, whose statements are included in the extradition request for Bushiri and his wife Mary, must appear in the Malawi lower court.
Malawi's Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Steve Kayuni subsequently made an application requesting the court to allow the witnesses from South Africa to appear via video conferencing.
The defence lawyer, Wapona Kita, took issue with the application citing that it had no legal grounds.
The matter was postponed to Tuesday for Chirwa to consider the application.
Speaking outside the court, Bushiri said he was not surprised or shocked by the witness no-show. He said it confirmed his belief that he was being persecuted. He said:
Bushiri said witnesses during his court proceedings in South Africa also did not arrive at court. "This also confirms my statement that I [have] been saying: that what I was passing through in South Africa, was persecution, not prosecution."
He said he respected the Malawian and South African justice systems, but insinuated that the law was being used to extort money.
"And I think this must stop," he said. "So we are here, we want to prove our case that we are innocent."
Kayuni explained outside court that the application for witnesses to testify via video was because of Covid-19 risks in South Africa and Malawi. "So, essentially the court has adjourned for a ruling on that further application," he said.
Meanwhile, outside the court, there were large numbers of supporters protesting in support of the couple.
They are wanted in South Africa in connection with fraud and money laundering, allegedly to the tune of R102 million.
They fled the country to their homeland just a few days after the Pretoria Central Magistrate's Court granted them bail of R200 000 each under strict conditions.
The matter is due back in court on Tuesday.
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