UMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) secretary-general Floyd Shivambu is under fire following his recent Easter weekend visit to self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri’s church in Malawi.

The visit, which included a glowing endorsement of Bushiri’s social, economic, and spiritual efforts, has drawn sharp criticism from several South African political figures and citizens.

Taking to social media on X(formerly twitter), Shivambu praised Bushiri for his “government-scale” impact on communities, stating:

“Thank you, my brother, Prophet Bushiri, for hosting us and for the kind words. The government-scale amount of work you do to economically, educationally, socially, and spiritually uplift our people is unparalleled—both now and historically.” He concluded with a verse from Proverbs: “Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and He will repay the lender.”

Bushiri, who fled South Africa while facing criminal charges, later applauded Shivambu’s Pan-Africanist philosophy and criticised those who, in his words, “peddle jealousy and negativity.”

'Sadly, some still peddle jealousy and negativity—labelling successful black individuals as ‘corrupt’ and in need of investigation, while praising white individuals as ‘investors.’ That’s not Pan-Africanism; that’s jealousy,'' he said.

But the praise hasn't sat well with many, including Members of Parliament and opposition leaders. Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Member of Parliament (MP) Carl Niehaus lambasted the visit, calling it “a spectacular own goal.”

“How much did that charlatan of a fake prophet, and fugitive of justice, pay you for this pathetically silly, over-the-top propaganda? Your love for money is well known,” Niehaus wrote. “It is only lots of moola that can cloud your judgment this badly.”