Inside Bushiri’s luxury hideout

Three days before his arrest in connection with money laundering and fraud amounting to more than R100m, fugitive and self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri whiled away time in the company of two close associates at one of his prized possessions, the Sparkling Waters Hotel and Spa.

The property, nestled at the foot of the Magaliesberg Mountains in North West, is one of many commercial entities owned by Bushiri, which he left behind when he and his wife Mary skipped the country for Malawi last week.

The hotel is also where the leader of the Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) Church regularly retreated to after leading sermons, according to neighbours and workers who spoke to Sowetan on condition of anonymity.