HARARE – Controversial cleric Walter Magaya, the founder of Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries, and his wife Tendai, found themselves in the dock on Monday, facing a battery of 13 fraud charges linked to a failed multi-million-dollar church housing project. The case has reignited public scrutiny of the self-proclaimed prophet, whose past is riddled with allegations of sexual abuse and financial impropriety.
Also implicated in the fraud case are the couple’s companies, Planet Africa (Pvt) Ltd and Yadah Connect (Pvt) Ltd, both represented in court by Tatenda Chinguwa, the operations manager for the two entities.
The state alleges that between 2016 and 2018, Magaya and his co-accused systematically defrauded PHD congregants and other members of the public. They are accused of falsely claiming to have acquired land for residential stands and investment projects across the country, spanning locations such as Chishawasha, Norton, Westgate, Fern Valley (Mutare), Bulawayo, Kwekwe, Arcturus, Ruwa, Manyame, and Nyatsime.
According to the police docket, Magaya allegedly announced these projects during a church service broadcast live on Yadah TV, claiming that “God had instructed him” to help believers build homes. He purportedly told congregants that those who purchased stands through Planet Africa would have their houses built by Yadah Connect. Furthermore, he allegedly enticed members to invest in mining, farming, and bee-keeping ventures, promising a “50 percent interest after six months.”
The court heard that during the campaign, brochures bearing the Bible verse Genesis 13:9 — “A vast land is out there and available to you” — were distributed, depicting houses and plots said to have been acquired for the faithful. Prosecutors contend that these representations were entirely false and that no such land had ever been secured. Thirteen complainants listed in the police papers claim to have paid various sums of money, running into tens of thousands of US dollars, but never received any stands or refunds.
Adding to Magaya’s woes, the court was cleared shortly after the fraud hearing for an in-camera session concerning unrelated rape charges. These allegations, which have dogged Magaya for years, have resurfaced, casting a long shadow over his already tarnished reputation.
Close sources indicate that Magaya’s arrest followed a directive from the Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC), which reportedly possesses compelling evidence against him. In October 2022, the Commission announced that it had initiated an investigation into allegations of sexual exploitation and r@pe against Magaya, inviting alleged victims to come forward. So far, two women are known to have done so, although there may be more.
“Magaya was arrested at 5AM while praying at his prayer mountain by over 30 armed officers,” Rubaya told the court. “He was not allowed to contact his lawyers until after 11:30AM. His wife was also arrested without justification and over-detained. This is unconstitutional.”
The lawyer asserted that the couple had been held incommunicado, with police initially denying them access to their legal representatives.
“We visited CID Headquarters where we were told they were being held, but we were informed they were not there,” Rubaya said. “They were not given access to their lawyers until after 11:30AM on November 1, 2025, when a police officer who is also a lawyer, Julia Chidumwa, intervened.”
Rubaya stated that the state had admitted to the over-detention, which he argued rendered the entire prosecution invalid.
“Even the state concedes they were over-detained. The constitution is clear — the law applies equally to all, including the state,” he argued. “You cannot put something on nothing; it will collapse. Once the state admits over-detention, this court must release the accused unconditionally.”
He emphasised that the only exception to the 48-hour rule would be if police had obtained a warrant for further detention, which they did not.
Prosecutor Clemence Chimbari admitted the over-detention but argued that the defence should seek redress through the Constitutional Court rather than the Magistrates’ Court.
Magistrate Gofa reserved judgement on the application for the couple’s release on account of over-detention and remanded them in custody until Tuesday, pending her ruling.
Magaya’s legal troubles are not new. In 2018, he claimed to have discovered a herbal “Aguma” for HIV/Aids and cancer, which proved to be a hoax. The government branded it criminal, and police raided his offices. In February 2019, he was convicted of fraud for illegally manufacturing and marketing his fake drug and was fined US$700.
Since his emergence as a “prophet” in 2012, following a visit to the late Nigerian preacher TB. Joshua, Magaya has been dogged by controversy. Last year, he was probed by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission for allegedly forging fake University of South Africa (Unisa) qualifications.
In August 2016, Magaya was arrested on rape charges involving a university student who later attempted to withdraw the charges, claiming to have received death threats. Reports also surfaced of bribery attempts targeting the complainant and various individuals to suppress the case.
In 2019, more women came forward with sexual abuse and rape claims. Stories and rumours of the church being a reality show-like brothel had been circulating, alleging that women, including married ones, became part of Magaya’s harem.
Magaya had previously attempted to block the police and Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) from investigating these cases, but the Supreme Court dismissed his appeal in October 2021, upholding the commission’s authority to probe the issue.
The ZGC first gazetted its intention to investigate Magaya in August 2019 following numerous public allegations of sexual abuse. The investigation was halted after he filed a legal challenge against the ZGC’s authority. After a series of court judgments in the ZGC’s favour, the commission resolved to resume the investigation in August 2022.
Despite the re-opened probe and invitations of victims to come forward, the commission did not make its findings public but gave them to the police to act.
The recent arrest of Magaya on multiple charges of rape and fraud signals a significant turn of events in a long-running saga. With the Zimbabwe Gender Commission seemingly determined to pursue the allegations against him, and with the fraud charges related to the failed housing project adding to his legal woes, Magaya faces a formidable battle to salvage his reputation and maintain his position of influence.
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