HARARE – Prophet Walter Magaya, the leader of PHD Ministries, marked his 42nd birthday yesterday confined within the walls of Harare Remand Prison, a stark contrast to the lavish celebrations of previous years. His incarceration comes during a tumultuous week for both him and his ministry, as he faces serious allegations and his bodyguard is implicated in a car smuggling scandal.
Magaya was arrested on Saturday morning during a raid by approximately 30 armed police officers while he was engaged in prayer and fasting at his prayer mountain in Waterfalls. He is currently facing five counts of rape and 13 counts of fraud related to residential stands and has been in custody since his arrest.
Despite his imprisonment, scores of PHD members, along with his relatives, gathered at Harare Remand Prison yesterday to offer messages of support and celebrate Magaya’s birthday. The car park of the prison was filled with luxurious vehicles as visitors took turns to see the prophet, many of whom were seen praying for his release.
One PHD Ministries member told H-Metro, “Church members and relatives have been visiting Prophet Magaya since morning. Some were told that they had to allow him to rest. We are here to comfort him and celebrate his special day.”
Magaya’s wife, Tendai, who was also arrested during the early morning raid but has since been granted bail, hosted some of the PHD members who visited Magaya at the remand prison. She was accompanied by her son, Walter Junior, who has been leading church services in recent weeks while his father was fasting and praying at the prayer mountain.
Musician Seh Calaz described Magaya as a “true servant of God” in a social media post celebrating the prophet’s birthday. “Today, we celebrate the life of a true servant of God – a man whose wisdom, humility and unshakable faith have transformed countless lives,” he wrote. “Prophet, you are not just a leader but a father, mentor and inspiration to many across Zimbabwe and beyond.”
The events of yesterday stand in sharp contrast to the flamboyant birthday celebrations Magaya has hosted in recent years. In 2019, a jacket tailor-made for his birthday bash was auctioned for US$12,000, which he then donated to a group of women to purchase sanitary wear. “One of my ministry’s members based in Nigeria is the one who took her time to hand-make it, and I did not want to let it go, but because of the amount pledged, I accept and donate the money to Women of Valour to buy their sanitary wear,” Magaya said at the time.
Magaya will notably miss his ministry’s biggest event of the year, the Night of Turnaround, which is scheduled to take place in Waterfalls this evening. Despite fears that the event might be cancelled due to Magaya’s legal troubles, senior members at PHD Ministries have confirmed that it will proceed as planned. A number of foreign delegates have been arriving for the event since the beginning of the week and have been closely following the unfolding legal drama. Some of them have even been present in court.
Adding to the woes surrounding the prophet, Tapiwa Felix Chikondo, Magaya’s bodyguard, who was arrested alongside him for allegedly assaulting a police officer, is now facing charges of smuggling a car and selling it to rapper Ti Gonzi.
Chikondo appeared before Harare regional magistrate Francis Mapfumo, who granted him US$600 bail. He was not asked to plead.
The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA), represented by revenue supervisor Collin’s Ncube, is the complainant in the case. The State, represented by Lancelot Mutsokoti, alleges that Chikondo, who works as a security aide at PHD Ministries, smuggled an ex-Japanese Toyota Mark X between July and August last year. He allegedly secured the car at the Yadah Hotel in Waterfalls, Harare.
According to the State, Chikondo identified a car with registration number ABX 7852, registered in the name of Dumisani Dube, and devised a plan to use those registration particulars to obtain a new set of number plates for his smuggled vehicle. The car had not been cleared with ZIMRA, and import duty had not been paid.
Chikondo allegedly fraudulently applied for a change of number plates at CID Vehicle Theft Squad, Harare, and engaged a car clearing agent, Andrew Musoni, who presented the documents to the Central Vehicle Registry for processing and issuance of the number plates. After obtaining the new set of number plates, AGS 2550, in the name of Dumisani Dube, Musoni gave them to Chikondo, who paid him US$50 for the service.
Chikondo then affixed the new number plates to the smuggled Toyota Mark X and sold it to musician Ti Gonzi. The car was seized by officials from the Vehicle Theft Squad on January 7 this year in Mbare. Ti Gonzi was driving the vehicle at the time and was informed that it was smuggled and had fake number plates.
Investigations revealed that the car had no record of import, clearance, or duty payment with ZIMRA. ZIMRA suffered an actual prejudice of US$3,389.55 in unpaid import duty.
The State further alleges that on August 29 last year, Ti Gonzi went to Eastlea Car Sales garage looking for a car to buy. He met Jarmine Rubatika, a car dealer, who led him to the Yadah Hotel car park, where Chikondo showed him the smuggled Toyota Mark X. Ti Gonzi negotiated to buy the vehicle, and Chikondo said he was selling it for US$5,000. Ti Gonzi paid for the vehicle in full, but it was later impounded by authorities, and nothing was recovered.
Chikondo is being represented by Malvern Mapako.
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