Pretoria: Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, has noted the ruling of the High Court of Malawi which denied South Africa’s request to extradite controversial pastor, Shepherd Bushiri, and his wife Mary to South Africa. The couple have been charged with rape, contravening the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act, the Banking Act, Immigration Act, as well as violating their bail conditions. They fled South Africa while out on bail in 2020.

According to South African Government News Agency, Minister Kubayi has indicated that the South African Government is studying the judgement and will determine the next legal course of action once a full assessment of the ruling has been concluded. The Minister reaffirmed that South Africa remains steadfast in pursuing all available legal avenues to ensure that justice is ultimately served, as stated in a department statement.

The decision by the High Court of Malawi overturned a ruling by a Magistrates’ Court in Lilongwe that the two should be extradited. Minister Kubayi expresses confidence in the strength and independence of both South Africa and Malawi’s judicial frameworks and reaffirmed the importance of continued diplomatic engagement and cooperation between the two countries.

The Minister further noted that the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, serving as South Africa’s Central Authority, will continue to collaborate closely with its Malawian counterpart to ensure that justice prevails, combat corruption, and strengthen mechanisms for cross-border cooperation in criminal matters, the statement concluded.