When the South African government froze the account of prominent Prophet Shepherd Bushiri after his miraculous escape pending prosecution whilst on court bail, people were generally left with an impression that he was left with no money and that he was to start from scratch in Malawi.
But less than a year since his arrival, the man has demonstrated a persevering financial stamina that may, perhaps, left South African authorities confused and surprised.
The Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) Church leader has announced the release of a $20 million fund dedicated to the construction of ECG churches, in the 2022-2023 financial calendar, in all the 73 countries where it operates.
According to ECG spokesperson Ephraim Nyondo, branch pastors will be required to submit their building plans before church headquarters in Lilongwe for approval in form of a loan which will be refunded in an estimated period of time.
Bushiri challenged all ECG Pastors to stay away from partisan politics but take the route of supporting development projects of their sitting governments.
He said ECG church subscribes to the principle of having the church complementing the State in its efforts of providing social services to the people.
He further said all ECG branches should not just develop plans for construction prayer houses.
“As a matter of policy, they should balance by ensuring that they also build a school or a hospital for their communities,” Nyondo said in his facebook status.
The founder of the multinational money-spinning Enlightened Christian Gathering and his wife Mary fled South Africa in the dead of night in November 2020 while out on R200 000 bail. They were facing charges of fraud, money laundering and theft worth more than R102 million.
The fugitive pair skipped bail in the Rainbow country and returned to Malawi, claiming they fled because their lives were in danger and they would not have a fair trial.
