Pastor Shepherd Bushiri, wife granted R100,000 bail each

Pastor Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary, who were arrested by the Hawks on Friday, were on Wednesday granted bail of R100,000 each.

They stand accused of money laundering and fraud.

Bushiri, commonly referred to as "Major 1", appeared the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court amid throngs of supporters holding solidarity placards. His faithful congregants massed outside court demanded his release, and for the charges to be dropped in entirety.

He and his wife were arrested at the Sparkling Waters hotel in Rustenburg. 

The Hawks’ case against the pair concerns alleged offences of fraud, money laundering and contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA).

The crimes were committed from 2015 in relation to Exchange Control Regulations related to foreign currency in an amount of $1,147,200 (about R15.3m), according to the Hawks.

The couple run several business enterprises in South Africa and abroad.