Amid mounting legal issues for fugitive pastor Shepherd Bushiri, the landlords of his church – property company PPS Property Fund – have successfully obtained a liquidation order.

This move is aimed at recovering more than R1m, due to a breached lease agreement.

The agreement was for the premises used by Bushiri's Enlightened Christian Gathering Church for Sunday congregations in Pretoria.

City Press reports that the company has further obtained legal standing to coerce Bushiri to pay the cost of the legal tussle which began soon after he fled SA in 2020.

The liquidation judgment, received by the property company last week, indicates that the Master of the High Court will assist the aggrieved party in appointing liquidators to wind up Bushiri's estate.

This is the second entity to obtain a similar order from the Gauteng High Court (Johannesburg).

The SARS is also on Bushiri's trail in an effort to recoup more than R44min tax debt.

According to the court ruling handed down by Judge Heidi Barnes after the matter had been on the unopposed roll for more than three years, the Master of the High Court will handle the process fully.

The court order read: Having read the documents filed on record, heard counsel and considered the matter, the following order is made: "Shepherd Bushiri is wound up and in the hands of the Master."

In their founding papers, PPS listed Bushiri’s registered properties at Blue Hills in Johannesburg and Waterkloof in Pretoria. A member of Bushiri’s church alleged that the house was subject to various surety agreements struck by the fugitive pastor while he accumulated his wealth through church funds, hotels and investment schemes.

Bushiri and his wife Mary in 2021 fled to Malawi after he was granted bail by the Pretoria Magistrate's Court. He is facing charges of money laundering and fraud.

City Press notes that he is accused of orchestrating a Ponzi scheme which allegedly targeted pension funds.

In the current indictment, senior state prosecutor Desire Rosenblatt alleges that, between February 2017 and March 2019, Bushiri received or retained property derived directly or indirectly from a pattern of racketeering, which included planned and continuing involvement in fraud.

The state revealed that on 1 April 2017, Bushiri and his accomplices moved at least R12 079 080.13 in 21 transactions on the same day.

Since then, numerous entities, including the City of Johannesburg, have approached the courts to reclaim continuously accumulating debt by the Bushiris.

The cleric seemingly continues to live a luxurious life in Malawi, where he can be seen on social media encouraging his congregants to follow him.

Full City Press report