‘I’ll never apologise for visiting Bushiri’s church’: Shivambu

Shivambu said attending religious institutions is personal.

“Going to religious institutions is a personal choice for anyone. I go to many religious institutions, including those whose faith I don’t associate with, for different reasons. We have to listen to different people.

“I attended the Jesus Nation Church in Malawi because I wanted to listen to the sermon during the Easter weekend, and I don’t think there was anything wrong with that. If the South African government is looking for Shepherd Bushiri, they know which processes to follow and it doesn’t have anything to do with Floyd.”

While the MK Party distanced itself from Shivambu’s visit, saying it was not authorised by the party leadership, Shivambu insisted he keeps party leader Jacob Zuma informed about his actions. “There is nothing I do without informing the president,” he said.

Shivambu also weighed in on the extradition case, suggesting there is “unnecessary misplaced exuberance” around Bushiri’s matter.

“I’m not responsible for law enforcement in South Africa. There is no court ruling in Malawi within the criminal justice system that links both countries that has instructed that he must be deported to South Africa. If there was such he would be hiding in Malawi, then that would have made him a fugitive. But there is no such.”

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