Botswana lifts ban on Bushiri

South Africa-based Malawian Prophet Shepherd Bushiri is now a free person to travel and conduct business in Botswana as his ban has been lifted, according to his spokesperson Ephraim Nyondo.

In a statement signed by Nyondo, the leader of the Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) church thanks the new President for Botswana Mokgweetsi Masisi and his government for the decision to lift the visa restriction that was placed against him.

“This is quite a progressive move. It will help me travel to Botswana easily to grow our church and, most importantly, to resolve some compliance issues of our church in Botswana,” reads part of the statement, which also indicates that the Prophet will soon visit Botswana for unspecified business.

In 2017, the government of Botswana confirmed the closure of Bushiri’s church in Gaborone, reportedly due to concerns over so-called ‘miracle money’.

But Nyondo said they have received a communication that the Prophet’s ban has been lifted and he was no longer a security concern as earlier indicated.

When contacted for a comment, director general for Botswana’s Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services (DIS) Peter Magosi and the government spokesperson Andrew Sesinyi could not pick our calls, neither did they respond to our WhatsApp questionnaire.

ECG has branches in a number of countries within the Southern Africa Development Community, and claims to have 55 branches across Botswana.