Shepherd Bushiri says his church membership in South Africa has grown past two million since he fled

Founder of the Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) church — now rebranded as the Jesus Nation Church — self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri says his congregation in South Africa has grown to more than two million registered members, growing exponentially after he fled the country while out on bail.

In an exclusive interview with eNCA in Lilongwe, Malawi, Bushiri — popularly known to his followers as Major One — insisted that his church had “multiplied five times more” since his departure from South Africa in 2020.

Bushiri and his wife Mary fled South Africa in November 2020, days after being granted bail for fraud and money laundering charges amounting to R102 million. Their escape sparked diplomatic tensions between Pretoria and Lilongwe, as South Africa sought their extradition — a process that has now been halted following a recent ruling in Malawi.

As IOL reported earlier this month, the High Court of Malawi ruled against extraditing the famous couple, citing hearsay evidence, improperly authenticated documents, and threats to their lives as among the reasons for its decision.

In his judgment, Justice Mzonde Mvula found that the extradition process “fell short” of the standards required under Malawian law and that the Bushiris had been denied their constitutional right to be heard. The court set aside a March ruling by the Chief Resident Magistrate’s Court in Lilongwe, which had ordered the couple’s committal for surrender to South Africa.

Justice Mvula said the lower court “did not exercise judicial discretion correctly by making a finding for extradition, when the evidence on the extradition hearing fell short to make this finding.” He further ruled that the proceedings violated the legal principle of audi alteram partem — the right to be heard — because the magistrate “delivered a ruling after hearing only the case of the Respondent” and failed to give the couple an opportunity to present their defence.

During the interview, Bushiri also addressed the controversial visit by then uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party secretary-general Floyd Shivambu earlier this year. The visit resulted in Shivambu being disciplined by the Jacob Zuma-led MK party for what it called an “unsanctioned trip”.

“I am a man of the people, I love people, and they love me. These people do not look at me from a religious background; they look at me as a fellow African, they look at me as a human being. I might be a self-proclaimed (prophet) to other people, but to other people I am a brother, a cousin, an uncle,” Bushiri told the television news broadcaster.

“For example, when Shivambu came to Malawi here, he did not come here specifically for me. He had other business which he was doing here. I think he was visiting the former president Joyce Banda and he had meetings with other politicians. Then he said let me go and attend a service on a Sunday. That was it, and we prayed with him. His mother is one of my leaders in the church in South Africa.”

On the growth of his congregation, Bushiri said the number of followers had “ballooned” since his exit.

“You are aware of that. Our church actually grew five times more than when I was in South Africa. Our church grew bigger,” said Bushiri.

Bushiri revealed that his church now has over two million registered members across South Africa, with branches operating in major cities including Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, and Cape Town.

The Enlightened Christian Gathering remains one of the largest charismatic movements in southern Africa. Once famous for filling stadiums in Gauteng, with tens of thousands of worshippers, the church continues to draw large crowds across South Africa and beyond. Multiple congregants travel to and from Malawi, often from different parts of South Africa, to physically attend Bushiri’s services.

Despite Bushiri’s legal troubles and self-imposed exile, his followers continue to regard him as a revered prophet and miracle worker, with satellite branches reportedly active throughout the world.