Prophet Shepherd Bushiri has indeed fired back strongly at South Africa’s Special Investigating Unit (SIU) following their recent explosive findings on corruption in the Department of Home Affairs.
The SIU released details from their probe (under Proclamation 154 of 2024) in a press conference around February 23-24, 2026. They accused Bushiri of exploiting systemic weaknesses: leveraging his influence, church networks (from his Enlightened Christian Gathering – ECG Ministries), and allegedly fabricated documents to secure a fraudulent permanent residence permit in South Africa. Key points from the SIU included:
His permit was approved by a Home Affairs adjudicator who was a member of his church—a clear conflict of interest.
The application included a fraudulent “financial independence” letter signed by a chartered accountant (who admitted being paid just for the signature).
Claims of wealth tied to a $1.2 million aircraft purchase paid in cash from a non-profit entity, raising money laundering concerns.
This ties into broader revelations of Home Affairs officials allegedly selling visas and permits for bribes (R300 to R5,000 via eWallets or other means) to unqualified applicants, including high-profile figures like Bushiri.
Bushiri responded aggressively in a statement (released around February 24, 2026, and shared widely on social media, including his X account @psbushiri_). He called the SIU “irrational” and dismissed the findings as a witch-hunt full of lies, designed to mislead South Africans. Highlights from his rebuttal:
He insists he never applied for immigration status inside South Africa—he applied legitimately through the South African Embassy in Malawi before relocating permanently.
His status was granted under legal provisions for substantial investors (over R10 million required; he claims to have invested more than R90 million in the country by then).
The process was official: Documents submitted in Malawi, approval notified via the embassy, and permits collected without any “chasing” or favors.
He highlighted the tragic death of an innocent immigration officer (a church member) who was arrested, dismissed, and allegedly mistreated over baseless claims tied to the case. Bushiri accused the SIU of rushing out statements claiming the officer “admitted” wrongdoing after his death, when he could no longer defend himself.
He questioned the timing: Why arrest him years ago (around 2020, related to fraud/forgery/jumping bail charges) if the “new” evidence only surfaced now? He framed it as arrest-first, investigate-later injustice.