Willah Mudolo’s battle escalates to Constitutional Court and The Hague Over alleged injustice in SA

Businessman Willah Mudolo has vowed to take his legal fight to South Africa’s Constitutional Court and even to the International Court of Justice in The Hague-claiming that justice is being denied in his ongoing criminal case linked to self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri’s controversial mega church project.

Mudolo is reported to be meeting a team of international attorneys, interestingly, the same team used by South Africa in its bid to have the war in Gaza declared a genocide. According to American legal expert Michael Sully, the case against Mudolo is weak and void of fact. Sully told Star that Mudolo’s rights are being violated because he is a foreign national. 

“Mudolo did not skip the country like Bushiri did. In the evidence admitted to court, Mudolo proved that it was his money that was taken. Bushiri made off with over 4 million dollars of Mudolo's money. In accordance with South African contract law and criminal law, he is the victim. But it looks like the courts have already taken a position against him even before the trial begins” Sully said. 

Mudolo, who was arrested in October 2020 alongside Bushiri on allegations of fraud, corruption, and money laundering, maintains that he is not a perpetrator but a victim of a massive extortion scheme. His legal team has now initiated multiple actions against state prosecutor Desiree Rosenblatt, accusing her of unethical conduct, perjury, and obstructing justice.

In a detailed affidavit, Mudolo accuses Rosenblatt of deliberately misleading the courts and violating legal procedures in a manner that has severely prejudiced his case.

“I wish to repeat and reiterate the fact that I never committed any of those alleged crimes,” Mudolo stated. “In actual fact, I am a victim of those crimes too.”

Mudolo, who had invested millions into Bushiri’s planned mega church complex in the North West province, says he was manipulated and extorted by Bushiri and his associates. Bushiri fled South Africa in November 2020 while out on bail, leaving Mudolo behind to face prosecution alone.

With Bushiri now safely in Malawi and beyond the reach of South African authorities, Mudolo claims that prosecutors are under pressure to hold someone accountable—and that he has become the scapegoat. “They cannot bring Bushiri back, so now they are doing all they can to pin this on me,” Mudolo said through his legal team.

Among the most serious allegations, Mudolo contends that Rosenblatt failed to serve him or his legal team with essential court documents in a bail appeal, as required by law. “On 4 May 2022, Ms Rosenblatt unlawfully and intentionally failed to cause a copy of the leave to appeal to be served on me or my attorneys,” he said. “By deliberately excluding me, she committed the crime of defeating the ends of justice.”

In response, Rosenblatt has denied the allegations, defending the integrity of her conduct and stating in court papers, “The contents of this paragraph are denied. The mere lip service to the words that he will suffer irreparable harm does not conform to the proof on a balance of probability.”

Mudolo’s legal representatives say they are preparing petitions to escalate the matter to the Constitutional Court and, if necessary, to international legal bodies including the International Criminal Court at The Hague.

“We have reached a point where the South African legal system appears compromised in this matter,” said one of Mudolo’s attorneys. “If justice cannot be achieved locally, we are fully prepared to seek redress internationally.”

Meanwhile, Bushiri, who remains in Malawi, has made claims on social media alleging corruption within South African law enforcement, including that SAPS officers attempted to extort R10 million from him and his wife. The Hawks have dismissed these claims, maintaining that Bushiri absconded to avoid justice.

“If he was innocent, why did he run?” a Hawks spokesperson questioned.

Despite the complexity and delays in his case — now postponed until January 2026 — Mudolo says he will not relent until his name is cleared and those he believes have abused their power are held accountable.