Controversial prophet Shepherd Bushiri has defended his church against accusations that it failed to report the deaths of three women during a stampede to the authorities.

Bushiri, the leader of the Enlightened Christian Gathering Church, spoke for the first time yesterday on the stampede that killed three people last month.

He was answering questions at the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities.

The hearing was held after the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) asked for the church to be shut down following the stampede.

Bushiri told the commission that his church was not responsible for moving the bodies of the dead from the church premises in Pretoria.

"The church took all the professional instruction from the paramedics," he said.

"We were assured that everything was handled professionally and had done all the necessary processes."

Bushiri said police were supposed to be at the event on the day but could not be found.

"We have been complying but from their side [police] I don't think they have been complying," he said.

Bushiri estimated that on the day of the stampede, there were 4,000 congregants.

He defended the legality of his church, saying that it is registered and governed by relevant authorities.

"We have been victimised as a church by faceless people on social media," Bushiri said.

He said there are rumours that the church sells the blood of Jesus and that they charge congregants money for him to pray for them or to sit near him during services.