Former deputy finance minister Terence Mukupe has sensationally accused Malawi-born preacher Shepherd Bushiri of having an adulterous affair with his musician wife, Rachel J.
Mukupe, a one time Zanu PF MP for Harare East, accused Bushiri of being a “fake prophet” and running a “fake church” after he came across what he says is WhatsApp evidence of his wife and the preacher arranging to meet for sex romps in Malawi, Pretoria and Rustenburg.
Bushiri has issued a statement denying the accusations.
“I’m coming after you,” Mukupe said in a Facebook post aimed at Bushiri. “I want the R100,000 that we seeded to your fake church back ,false prophet!
“I want you Bushiri to deny that you met her three times in Lilongwe, Pretoria and your Rustenburg place with my blessing – me buying the plane tickets and you offering to go into business with us with Honourable Chihana from Malawi in tow. Deny it and we will see who serves a true God.”
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Mukupe posted several screen shots of his wife’s phone, showing her talking to someone whose name is saved as ‘Major 1’, Bushiri’s nickname.
The messages show Rachel J, who is now pregnant, chatting with Major 1 who tells her he has “landed”, it is presumed in Malawi sometime in June 2018.
Major 1 then invites her for a “warm bath” after she sent him her picture, to which she replies: “Not a chance.”
Unrelenting, the man identified as Bushiri invites Rachel J to come to Malawi where he says he will remain “until Friday”. When she replies ‘you’re tempting me’, Major 1 asked, “you don’t wanna come ur busy?” Major 1 then posts a picture of Bushiri on a lakeside deck.
Rachel J then tells Major 1 that “will be seeing you on Wednesday.”
On June 29, Rachel J sent a message to the man Mukupe says is Bushiri, stating: “On board… see you soon.”
See the leaked chat below:
The two are believed to have met for sex trysts in the lakeside district of Mangochi.
A news report on a Malawian website, Nyasa Times, bearing the date stamp of June 30, 2018, stated that “Bushiri’s vacation in the beatific lakeshore district of Mangochi has been disturbed by flocks of villagers who, after word spread that he is around, trooped in to pay homage to him.”
Mukupe said he had received abusive messages from Bushiri’s army of loyalists, who call him ‘Papa’, but said he would not be bullied.
“I’m coming after your fake Papa Prophet Shepherd Bushiri,” Mukupe posted on Wednesday. “I have material for days. This is my last post, see you in Pretoria court.”
In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Bushiri said it was “not in my nature to respond to allegations levelled against me”, but he was making an exception to what he called “false allegations” by Mukupe that “I am responsible for his wife’s pregnancy.”
It was not clear where Mukupe made the allegations, however.
Bushiri also said he had not travelled to Malawi in the last 13 months after his arrest on money laundering charges in South Africa, and subsequent seizure of his passport. It was not clear what the significance of the 13 months was, as Mukupe insists that the Malawi meeting between Bushiri and his wife took place in June 2018 – some 20 months ago.
Bushiri denied that he uses WhatsApp, maintaining that he last used the platform in 2017. He also denied that the South African number that was sending the messages was associated with him.
“Given all this, it is therefore impractical and impossible for his allegations to be materially true. Sadly, this guy’s lies are part of a pattern of libel and slander that has been directed at me for over a decade,” Bushiri said before threatening to “make yet another example out of him” through a lawsuit.
Taking to his IG page he wrote;
It is not in my nature to respond to allegations levelled against me. However, it has come to my attention that Terence Mukupe, a disgraced former deputy minister in Zimbabwe has made false allegations that I am responsible for his wife’s pregnancy. The basis of his allegations are screenshots of chats and messages purportedly between me and his wife.
For the purposes of clarity.
I am not on WhatsApp. Neither am I on iMessenger. This has been the case since late 2017. Those with access to me will know this. Those who do not, please stand guided, I AM NOT ON WHATSAPP or iMESSENGER. I have not been for 3 years.
Secondly, I have not traveled out of South Africa in the last 13 months, and therefore have not met this man’s wife in Malawi as he believes. This ought to be public knowledge. Thirdly the contact number in his pictures is NOT mine and has never been mine. Therefore whoever was speaking with this man’s wife isn’t me.
Given all this, it is therefore impractical and impossible for his allegations to be materially true. The bible teaches us to forgive and ignore, but there also comes a time when those that make defamatory and highly damaging allegations about others must face the music of their choice.
As you may know, since 2019 I have been suing every newspaper that carries fake stories about me. This is on record. I have been suing and winning, and media house after media house has been apologising and paying damages for their lies. It is a strategy that has become policy.
I therefore call on Terence Mukupe to respect his wife, his marriage and his children. For him to tell the whole world that his wife was impregnanted by another man paints him in bad light but also opens his wife to all forms of abuse.
A man has a duty and obligation to protect his wife and Terence must not open her up to abuse and name calling.
I call on him to respect my family and everyone else. These false allegations stay on the internet forever and will harm many lives. If they were true it would make sense. But these are lies.
To sue him, win and take money from him would be unfortunate, as his already doing all this to me for money. Sir, fear God!
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Bushiri, who is married to Mary Zgambo , a Malawian national, has previously faced allegations of having sexual relations with members of his church.
