It would be 'inconvenient, taxing, very costly, unreasonable or inexpedient' to require witnesses in the case against 'Prophet' Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary to travel to Malawi, Lilongwe's chief resident magistrate ruled.

The chief resident magistrate in Malawi's capital Lilongwe has ruled that South African witnesses in the extradition hearing in Malawi of evangelical preacher and self-styled "prophet", Shepherd Bushiri, and his wife Mary, may give evidence in a South African court.

The many witnesses in South Africa would not have to travel to Malawi to be physically present in court when they testify, chief resident magistrate Madalitso Chimwaza said on Monday.

She said she had applied to the Malawi High Court to issue an order for the witnesses against Shepherd Bushiri, head of the Enlightened Christian Gathering church and his wife to testify in a South African court.

This was the latest move in a legal ping-pong match that has been going on since June 2021 between the Bushiris and South African and Malawian prosecutors over the issue of whether the witnesses may testify in a South African court.

The Bushiris jumped bail in South Africa in November 2020 and fled to their home country of Malawi after...