uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party parliamentarian Floyd Shivambu has dropped a bombshell that will send shockwaves through the corridors of power in both Malawi and South Africa by claiming that the government is providing Prophet Shepherd Bushiri with state security.
Shivambu made the revelations in an interview with Newzroom Afrika, following his controversial trip to meet with the fugitive, who is wanted in South Africa on charges of fraud and rape.
Shivambu, who until yesterday served as secretary general of South Africa’s main opposition party, defended his trip, insisting there was nothing wrong with it. He incorrectly claimed there was no court ruling ordering Bushiri’s extradition to South Africa, despite a ruling issued in March—weeks before his visit to the prophet.
“I’m not responsible for law enforcement in South Africa. There is no court ruling in Malawi, within the criminal justice system that links both countries, instructing that he must be deported to South Africa. If there was such a ruling, and he was hiding in Malawi, then that would make him a fugitive. But there is no such ruling,” he told Newzroom Afrika.
However, the interview was the final stroke that broke the Camera’s back as Shivambu was deployed from his role as secretary general 3 days later only to be appointed as a parliamentarian.
During the interview, Shivambu dropped a further bombshell: that the Malawian government has been providing Bushiri with state protection. The revelations have sent shockwaves across South Africa, where it is widely believed that Bushiri jumped bail and fled to Malawi aboard President Lazarus Chakwera’s presidential jet.
“The Malawian government provides security through the State to Prophet Shepherd Bushiri. In terms of what he does, there are so many projects he is involved in that are supported by the government and in full collaboration with the government. The South African government is fully aware,” said Shivambu, who is returning to Parliament as a lawmaker.
His revelations are bound to cause a further headache for the MK Party, which has just removed Shivambu from his role as secretary general following his controversial meeting with Bushiri.
However, Shivambu’s claim that the Malawian government, which some have already accused of aiding in Bushiri’s escape, is now protecting him with state security and actively collaborating with the fugitive will send fresh tremors through Parliament before Shivambu even takes his seat.
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