Congregants Say They Paid for It. A Court Says Prophet Bushiri’s Ministry Owns This R4.9 Million Farm

• A South African church lost its bid to claim a R4.9 million farm in Rustenburg
• The property is registered to Shepherd Bushiri’s ministry, which is in liquidation
• The church relied on an oral agreement and redacted bank statements
• The judge said it could have bought the property during the liquidation

A branch of prophet Shepherd Bushiri’s church in South Africa has failed in its attempt to claim ownership of a R4.9 million farm, the Sowetan reported on 12 August 2026. The North West High Court dismissed an application by Enlightened Christian Gathering South Africa (ECG SA) and ECG TNJC Rustenburg NPC over the property in Rustenburg.

The farm is registered to Prophet Shepherd Bushiri Ministries NPC, which was placed in liquidation under a February 2024 high court order. Bushiri, the church’s leader, is a fugitive from justice. The church argued that a member, Maria Mokoena, bought the property in 2018 for the benefit of the Rustenburg branch, with the ministry holding title until it could be registered locally. It said about R4.9 million had been paid for the farm and that congregants spent a further R5 million on renovations.

The liquidators disputed this, saying there was no proper evidence that Mokoena bought the farm on behalf of the local congregation, and that it had been lawfully bought and transferred to the ministry.

Acting Judge Bulelwa Mnyovu agreed. She found that transfer to the ministry on 10 April 2018 extinguished any intention to hold the property for the branch, and rejected the church’s reliance on an alleged oral agreement and redacted bank statements. “The second applicant is not the true owner of the immovable property,” she ruled, adding that the church could have bought the farm during the liquidation rather than asking the court to award it.

The case is a hard lesson for any congregation that raises money for property but lets the title sit in someone else’s name. Jamaican churches, where land is still often held informally or in the name of a pastor, overseer or parent body, face the same risk. The name on the title is what counts when a ministry collapses or a dispute reaches court. Local congregations and diaspora members sending money for church land should insist that property is registered to properly constituted trustees, with written agreements for any arrangement that differs from what the title shows.

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