SA to review Malawi court ruling on Bushiri extradition: Kubayi

Shepherd Bushiri and his wife, Mary.

Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi has noted the ruling of the High Court of Malawi, which has set aside the March 2025 order made by the Magistrate’s Court in Lilongwe, directing that self-proclaimed Prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife, Mary, be surrendered to the South African Government to face trial for various offences.

Kubayi, in a statement on Saturday, states that the South African Government is studying the judgment and will determine the next legal course of action once a full assessment of the ruling has been concluded.

The South African government submitted an extradition request to Malawi after Bushiri and his wife, Mary, fled South Africa to their homeland.

The extradition request was successful in the Magistrate’s Court in Lilongwe; however, this was followed by a review in the High Court, which has effectively overturned the lower court’s order.

Justice Mzonde Mvula, who penned the judgment, concluded that the request by the South African government is “tainted by bad faith, political motivation, and oppressive delay without protecting Bushiri and his wife, Mary’s, right to life.”

The court found that the offences from 2015 were only pursued five years later.

Justice Mvula of the High Court of Malawi – in the judgment that set aside the extradition of self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri & his wife, Mary – found that the request (by the SA govt) is tainted by “bad faith, political motivation & oppressive delay” #SABCNews pic.twitter.com/nHSWOEyI84

— Canny Maphanga (@CannyMaphanga) October 31, 2025