The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has explained why it refused an application by businessman Willah Joseph Mudolo, a co-accused in the fraud case involving self-exiled preacher Shepherd Bushiri, to temporarily relax his bail conditions and allow him to travel to Zambia.
Judge Piet van Niekerk dismissed Mudolo’s request to visit his gravely ill mother, ruling that there were insufficient grounds to alter the strict bail conditions imposed when he was first granted bail.
Mudolo had sought permission to leave South Africa between April 30 and May 3, arguing that his mother was critically ill and wanted to see him. He also requested the temporary release of his passport, which had been surrendered as part of his bail conditions.
In court papers, Mudolo proposed several safeguards, including providing authorities with contact details and addresses of relatives in Zambia, returning his passport within 48 hours of his return, and resuming his reporting obligations immediately after travelling.
He maintained that he was not a flight risk, had complied with all previous bail conditions and had already provided substantial security to the court.
However, Judge Van Niekerk said the stringent conditions imposed by the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court were not arbitrary and reflected findings that the interests of justice required strict restrictions on Mudolo’s movements.
“Such stringent bail conditions would not have been imposed had the learned magistrate not found on the available evidence that the interest of justice required such stringent bail conditions,” the judge said.
The court also criticised the manner in which the application was brought, noting that the Director of Public Prosecutions had not been joined to the proceedings or afforded a reasonable opportunity to present information that could have influenced the court’s decision.
Judge Van Niekerk said this procedural shortcoming weighed against granting the application.
The ruling marks the latest chapter in a long-running legal battle over Mudolo’s bail conditions.
His lawyer informed the court that he had previously filed several applications seeking permission to travel outside Gauteng and South Africa.
One such application succeeded in March 2022 when regional magistrate Thandi Theledi relaxed the conditions.
However, that decision was later overturned by Gauteng High Court Judge Mokhine Mosopa in September 2022, restoring the original restrictions, including the surrender of Mudolo’s passport and limits on travel.
Mudolo is among six accused facing serious criminal charges in the Gauteng High Court. The group includes his wife, Zethu Mudolo, his company Rising Estate, as well as Landiwe Ntlokwana Sindani, Nomalarvasagie Reddy, Sateesh Isseri and Stephanie Oliver.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the accused face charges including racketeering, fraud and money laundering linked to an alleged R102 million investment scheme connected to companies associated with Bushiri’s Enlightened Christian Gathering church operations.
The NPA has also indicated that it intends to seek the cancellation of Mudolo’s bail after reports that he had sought to acquire an aircraft ahead of a planned campaign for Zambia’s presidential elections scheduled for August.
The fraud case remains one of the most closely watched prosecutions linked to Bushiri’s business and church network.
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