CONTROVERSIAL self-proclaimed prophet, Shepherd Bushiri and his wife, Mary have scored a massive courtroom victory in Malawi, leaving Mzansi shocked and South African authorities scrambling for their next move.
The High Court in Lilongwe has set aside the Chief Resident Magistrate's March ruling that ordered the couple's extradition to South Africa to finally face charges of fraud, theft and money laundering dating back to 2020.
In a judgment delivered on Friday, 31 October, Justice Mzonde Mvula tore into the magistrate's decision, saying it did not follow from the premises on which extradition is sought.
The judge further ruled that the magistrate failed to fully apply the course of justice, making the earlier decision unsafe. This means, for now, Bushiri is not going anywhere.
Bushiri and his wife fled South Africa in November 2020 while out on bail, claiming they were not safe and insisting they would only return if they received a fair trial.
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Their dramatic escape sparked outrage, with government launching a formal extradition request.
After years of delays marked by missing witnesses, technical arguments and claims of political interference, the Chief Resident Magistrate finally ruled in March 2025 that the couple should be extradited.
But the Bushiris immediately appealed, and today, they walked out of court victorious.
Mvula found serious flaws in the extradition ruling, emphasising that the lower court dismissed key grounds prematurely and failed to properly justify sending the couple back to South Africa. He ruled that the decision "must be set aside entirely."
The ruling is a major blow for the South African government, which has been fighting for years to bring Bushiri back to answer for the multi-million-rand charges.
The judgment suggests that Malawi expects a stronger, more complete case if SA wants another shot at extradition.
