Shepherd Bushiri

His church gatherings have not always been well received with the one extreme protest being the destruction of "overflow tents" by arson in February 2020.

On 11 February 2020 it was reported by the Nyasa Times and Malawi24 that Bushiri announced that he would be selling maize in Malawi at a price of MK5 000 (US$6.85) per 50 kg (110 lbs), or US$124.55 per ton. The international price for corn futures (yellow maize) at the time of the announcement was US$150 per ton or US$7.50 per 50 kg. The local prices for maize sold commercially in Malawi were 3 to 4 times higher than that quoted by Bushiri, selling for as much as MK20 000 per 50 kg

On 20 February 2020 former deputy finance minister of Zimbabwe, Terence Mukupe, accused Bushiri of an adulterous affair with Mukupe's musician wife, Rachel, which resulted in the impregnation of Rachel. He claimed to have WhatsApp evidence of his wife and the preacher arranging to meet for "sex romps in Malawi, Pretoria and Rustenburg". He also claimed that Bushiri had taken R 100000 (approx $ 7500 ) from him to finance his church, Enlightened Christian Gathering.

Claims that Bushiri was born Chipiliro Gama in The Citizen in February 2019; "an invoice mistakenly sent to Baloyi Attorneys did not use the popular name Shepherd Bushiri, and instead called him Chipiliro Gama." A report in The Sunday Times newspaper for February 2019 stated that "Bushiri's father, Huxley, and mother, Cristina, a Zambian by birth raised him as Chipiliro Gama".

In September 2019, Bushiri's spokesperson and communications director, Ephraim Nyondo, refuted the allegations.

In March 2019 Bushiri visited Alexandra, where a fire had burnt over 100 shacks. He said that he would donate R 400000 (equivalent to approx $ 29000 ) to emergency services "that should be used for the children in the area.".

Darlington Manyawu, a businessman based in Hong Kong, claims to have sold Bushiri clothing to the value of R 450000 but had not received payment for them. He claims that the clothing was given to Bushiri's spokesman, Maynard Manyowa on 28 June 2019 and Bushiri has subsequently been seen wearing the clothes at public church gatherings. Ephraim Nyondo, the spokesman for the Elightened Christian Gathering church, did not dispute the claim but stated that the matter did not concern Bushiri as it was between Manyawu and Manyowa.

The South African Catholic radio station, Radio Veritas, was reprimanded by the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) for airing a one-sided programme laced with allegations against Bushiri on 1 December 2019. Bushiri had claimed that the broadcast was "malicious, damaging to his reputation, libelous, contained lies, was unfounded" and did not afford him the right of reply. The BCCSA noted that Veritaas Radio had contravened the broadcasting act in not presenting the opposing view from Bushiri.

On 1 February 2019, Bushiri was arrested together with his wife by South Africa's Directorate for Priority Investigations (HAWKS) for fraud and money laundering. The Hawks said the case against the couple was linked to alleged offences of fraud and money laundering, as well as the contravention of South Africa's Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA), which had been committed from 2015. The contravention of the Act was in relation to Exchange Control Regulations relating to foreign currency of $ 1147 200 .

Bushiri and his wife were each granted R 100000 (approx $ 7500 ) bail after appearing in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria on 6 February 2019. Among the bail conditions were that the couple remain in Gauteng and their travel documents remain with the state. If they needed to travel, they would need to get written permission from investigating officers. Bushiri and wife were also not allowed to make contact with any of the witnesses.

On 28 August 2019 Bushiri's court case was postponed until 29 November 2019 to allow his legal team, including Terrence Baloyi and Barry Roux, to make representations to the National Prosecuting Authority. The case was subsequently postponed to 27 July 2020 for trial.

In November 2019 application was made by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for the forfeiture of a 1984 Gulfstream aircraft owned by Bushiri and hangared at Lanseria airport, north of Johannesburg. The NPA claimed that the aircraft had been procured with funds illegally obtained. Bushiri claimed that it was legitimately acquired in 2016 for $ 1250 000 (R 17000 000 ). The application for forfeiture was not ready to go ahead and was removed from the court roll.

In August 2018, he was invited as a guest of honor at South Africa's National Day of Inter-faith prayer held at the Emirates Airline Stadium in Johannesburg, during which he offered prayers of reconciliation and unity. The event was attended by South African leading clergy and South Africa's Vice President David Mabuza.

On the night of 28 December 2018, three people died and nine others were injured during a stampede at the ECG Church caused by people trying to avoid a thunderstorm. Bushiri's spokesman Maynard Manyowa told media that "The ECG Church is not his [Bushiri's] church, it belongs to South Africa and South Africans." Manyowa also said that the deaths were "not his [Bushiri's] problem, but a problem that the church must deal with."

Shepherd Bushiri's company, SB Investments (Pty) Ltd, is an international investment company, based in Sandton near Johannesburg, with interests in oil, mining, real estate, transportation and the hospitality industry. On 20 February 2018, Bushiri launched one of his hotel investments, a multimillion-dollar property in South Africa.  SBI has a special interest in supporting governments including economies of fragile state countries.  In 2017 Bushiri was hosted by the Vice President of South Sudan – Dr James Igga, Reserve Bank Governor and Finance Minister during which a business deal was signed in the area of infrastructure and development. In 2018 Shepherd Bushiri was given the prestigious award and induction into the CEO Hall of Fame by the African Leadership Magazine.

Shepherd Bushiri has been involved in many charitable works around the world, including work in Malawi, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Botswana and South Africa. He formed a humanitarian organization called “Shepherd Bushiri Foundation” with Duncan Zgambo as the CEO, where he provides for the needy and less privileged. He provides charitable donations including livelihood support; educational support for orphans; humanitarian relief in the form of food subsidies.  In 2017, he took maize to Lilongwe and spent K85 Million in Malawi Charity. He has invested in young people through his sports academy  and through Major 1 Records which sponsors and show-cases up-and-coming music artists. On 18 July 2018, Nelson Mandela Day, Bushiri launched an Africa-wide school adoption program with donations to a local school. The event was attended by Senior Government Officials from the South Africa Ministry of Education..

The fees charged to attend some of Bushiri's public dinners have been questioned. It was reported that he charged up to R 25000 for a seat at his table at a gala dinner held on 23 December 2017 at the Pretoria Showground, and N$ 1000 for entry to a dinner held in Windhoek, Namibia in January 2016. Bushiri in several news interviews categorically refuted the published extreme pricing claims for "so-called gala dinners" calling them "fabricated."

Allegedly, during a church service in March 2017, Bushiri announced that he wanted to make members of his church into millionaires. Congregants were then told via email to invest at least R100 000 in cash with him within the next two days and were promised a 50% return within 30 banking days. Those that could not bring cash with them to the church were sent banking details of a company, Rising Estates, the directors of which are Bushiri lieutenants, Willah Mudolo, Duncan Oduor Otieno and Kit Ching Catherine Kum. Almost two years later, the people who gave Bushiri money claim to have not received anything back.

It is alleged that in 2010 Bushiri impregnated a teenage Malawian woman, whom he met in 2007 in their home town, Mzimba. It is further claimed that he bribed her with a cheque for 80000 Malawian kwacha (about R 1500 ) to have an abortion but that the cheque bounced. The woman subsequently gave birth in 2011 to a girl who "is the spitting image of Bushiri and it is widely known in the district that he is the biological father,” according to the father of the woman. The woman is now married and the family alleges that they "kept quiet out of fear." The village that the woman and child live in broke the news before the family approached Bushiri. Bushiri claims that the cheque was stolen from him and that, on the day the woman claims he made her pregnant, Bushiri was at a police station dealing with an attempted hijacking. In 2018, the mother again tried to get maintenance via the courts but was unsuccessful. Family members of the girl claim that Bushiri admits to the allegations in private, despite his public denials and have demanded a paternity test. His lawyer, Terrence Baloyi, did not respond to emails, text messages and calls from City Press seeking comment.

Shepherd Bushiri (born 20 February 1983) also known as Major 1 or Prophet Shepherd Bushiri, is a Christian preacher, motivational speaker, author  and businessman from Malawi.