South Africa based preacher Shepherd Bushiri and leader of the Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) church, has threatened to sue Zimbabwe’s former Deputy Minister of Finance Terence Mukupe after the later claimed the prophet had slept with his wife Rachel J and got her pregnant.
In a statement issued via Facebook, Bushiri posted;
“It is not in my nature to respond to allegations levelled against me. However, it has come to my attention that Terence Mukupe, a disgraced former deputy minister in Zimbabwe has made false allegations that I am responsible for his wife’s pregnancy.
“The basis of his allegations are screenshots of chats and messages purportedly between me and his wife. For the purposes of clarity.
“I am not on WhatsApp. Neither am I on iMessenger. This has been the case since late 2017. Those with access to me will know this. Those who do not, please stand guided, I AM NOT ON WHATSAPP or iMESSENGER. I have not been for 3 years,” Bushiri wrote.
“Secondly, I have not traveled out of South Africa in the last 13 months, and therefore have not met this man’s wife in Malawi as he believes. This ought to be public knowledge.
“Thirdly the contact number in his pictures is NOT mine and has never been mine. Therefore whoever was speaking with this man’s wife isn’t me. Given all this, it is therefore impractical and impossible for his allegations to be materially true.
“Sadly this guy’s lies are part of a pattern of libel and slander that has been directed at me for over a decade.
“The bible teaches us to forgive and ignore, but there also comes a time when those that make defamatory and highly damaging allegations about others must face the music of their choice.
“I have consequently engaged my lawyers in Zimbabwe to urgently seek legal recourse.
“As you may know, since 2019 I have been suing every newspaper that carries fake stories about me. This is on record. I have been suing and winning, and media house after media house has been apologising and paying damages for their lies. It is a strategy that has become policy.
“I therefore call on Terence Mukupe to respect his wife, his marriage and his children. For him to tell the whole world that his wife was impregnated by another man paints him in bad light but also opens his wife to all forms of abuse.
“A man has a duty and obligation to protect his wife and Terence must not open her up to abuse and name calling. I call on him to respect my family and everyone else. These false allegations stay on the internet forever and will harm many lives. If they were true it would make sense. But these are lies.
“To sue him, win and take money from him would be unfortunate, as his already doing all this to me for money. Sir, fear God, don’t be desperate to the level of selling a good name of yourself with cheap lies like these.
But as I said, if he chooses otherwise, we will have no option but to make yet another example out of him. We cannot tolerate and allow slander, libel and defamation to go unchallenged.
“Lastly, I pray that Mukupe makes peace with his wife and whoever is responsible for her pregnancy.
“God Bless you Zimbabwe. I love you!,” Bushiri signed off on his statement.
However, a defiant Mukupe took to Facebook to hit back at Bushiri, accusing him of being a “fake prophet” and running a “fake church” after he came across what he says is WhatsApp evidence of his wife and the preacher arranging to meet for sex romps in Malawi, Pretoria and Rustenburg.
“Prophet Shepherd Bushiri, so you have decided to go public on this… no problem… if that’s not you in that pic be my guest… I’m coming after you… that’s not your mobile you were using for WhatsApp be my guest… you can’t be taking advantage of people like that….
“I want the R100k that we seeded to your fake church back… false prophet!!! As you said your lawyers are ready to sue please deliver the summons I’m waiting..
“I want you Bushiri to deny that you met her three times Lilongwe, Pretoria and you Rustenberg place with my blessing, me buying the plane tickets and you offering to go into business with us with Hon Chihana from Malawi in tow… deny it and we will see who serves a true God!!!”
Along with the message, Mukupe posted several screenshots of his wife’s phone, showing her talking to someone whose name is saved as ‘Major 1’, Bushiri’s nickname.
The messages show Rachel J, who is now pregnant, chatting with Major 1 who tells her he has “landed”, it is presumed in Malawi sometime in June 2018.
Major 1 then invites her for a “warm bath” after she sent him her picture, to which she replies: “Not a chance.”
Unrelenting, the man identified as Bushiri invites Rachel J to come to Malawi where he says he will remain “until Friday”. When she replies ‘you’re tempting me’, Major 1 asked, “you don’t wanna come ur busy?” Major 1 then posts a picture of Bushiri on a lakeside deck.
Rachel J then tells Major 1 that “will be seeing you on Wednesday.”
On June 29, Rachel J sent a message to the man Mukupe says is Bushiri, stating: “On board… see you soon.”
The two are believed to have met for sex trysts in the lakeside district of Mangochi.
A news report on a Malawian website, Nyasa Times, bearing the date stamp of June 30, 2018, stated that “Bushiri’s vacation in the beatific lakeshore district of Mangochi has been disturbed by flocks of villagers who, after word spread that he is around, trooped in to pay homage to him.”
It was not clear where Mukupe made the allegations, however.
Bushiri, who is married to Prophetess Mary Bushiri, nee Zgambo, a Malawian national, has previously faced allegations of having sexual relations with members of his church.
Additional Reporting: Zimlive
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