Bushiri speaks on investigation
Days after reports emerged that South Africa-based Malawian prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) were being investigated for alleged commercialising of religion and abuse of people’s beliefs, the church says reports surrounding the issue are “uninformed and misleading”.
While confirming that the church appeared before South Africa’s Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural‚ Religious and Linguistic Communities, ECG yesterday said it believes “the reports are not a true reflection of the truth on the ground”.
South African media reports this week said ECG was on Tuesday probed by the commission in response to concerns raised by a cross section of society in an alleged commercialised selling of religion, following revelations that the church charges congregants 5000 rand (K202,391) for divine sessions.
“It is not true that people pay 5 000 rand to have private talks with Prophet Shepherd Bushiri. The reports are not a true reflection of the truth on the ground, but rather uninformed and misleading.
“ECG-Pretoria has a membership of over 30 000 people that come to attend our weekly services. No one has ever been asked to pay a fee to meet the prophet during all our weekly services,” Prophet Shepherd Bushiri Ministries public relations officer Kelvin Sulugwe said on Thursday.
“Mirriam [Motsolo, the church’s representative at the probe] did not appear at the CRL, but the commission came at the church to do their duty. That we also commend as a church. For whatever reasons, The Sowetan Live twisted the truth. But then, we don’t stress. We relax.”
He said following the growth of the church “at an alarming rate,” it continues to attract thousands of people from outside the Rainbow Nation who, though not obligated, pay to be hosted by the church.
The Nation also published the story yesterday.
Sulugwe claimed this figure was arrived at after checking hotel rates.
According to Sulugwe, Prophet Bushiri has nothing to do with this as he is only concerned with preaching while all prearrangements of the international visitors are done by an independent body chosen by the church.
Asked on The Sowetan reports that the ECG has amassed 1.2 million rand (about K48 million) this year alone, Sulugwe said: “That’s out of my hands. Only auditors can comment.”
The commission has instituted investigations on several other church ministries including River of Living Waters, Agape International Ministries as well as Incredible Happenings church. n
