THE hearing in the extradition proceedings against self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary has been postponed.
The Bushiris were scheduled to appear on Monday, 10 July, for the first part of the hearing at the Lilongwe Magistrates Court in Malawi.
The hearing was adjourned after the parties received an order from the court that the presiding magistrate is out of the country and the couple should appear for a new court date on Thursday, 20 July.
The trial, which was scheduled to begin in May, was postponed after the Bushiris' lawyer, Wapona Kita, filed a motion in court that the statements made by South African witnesses was not authenticated under Malawi's Extradition Law.
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Mzansi is expected to parade witnesses as ordered by the Malawi High Court in February.
Extradition proceedings against the Bushiris were first initiated in December 2020, a month after they fled South Africa for their home country in violation of their bail conditions.
The couple face a number of charges, including R102 million in fraud and money laundering, while Bushiri is additionally charged with eight counts of rape.
