HARARE – Tapiwa Felix Chikondo, a bodyguard of prominent church leader Prophet Walter Magaya, has once again found himself in legal hot water. Chikondo, 35, has been remanded in custody after appearing in court, facing charges of defeating or obstructing the course of justice. This latest arrest comes amid a string of legal challenges for Prophet Magaya, including multiple rape and fraud allegations.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ), Chikondo was apprehended on Tuesday for allegedly interfering with witnesses in one of the rape cases against Prophet Magaya. The NPAZ alleges that Chikondo contacted the complainant’s mother, attempting to dissuade her from cooperating with law enforcement.
In a statement, the NPAZ detailed the accusations: “The accused facilitated communication between the complainant’s mother and the cleric. He sent US$200 via Ecocash to the complainant’s mother, purportedly for transport to Harare to ‘settle’ the matter.”
The NPAZ further stated that, “On 28 November 2025, the accused visited the complainant’s home to discuss the case, where he was cautioned that interfering with a police investigation is unlawful.”
Authorities claim they recovered an Ecocash agent’s register linked to Chikondo, further connecting him to the alleged transaction. “An Ecocash agent’s register which was recovered by police on 1 December 2025 linked to the accused person to the transaction. He was arrested on 2 December 2025,” the NPAZ confirmed.
Chikondo is scheduled to return to court on Friday for a bail hearing.
The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA), represented by revenue supervisor Collin’s Ncube, is the complainant in the car smuggling case. The State, represented by Lancelot Mutsokoti, alleges that Chikondo, in his capacity as a security aide at PHD Ministries, smuggled an ex-Japanese Toyota Mark X between July and August of last year. The vehicle was allegedly acquired at the Yadah Hotel in Waterfalls, Harare.
The State alleges that Chikondo identified a car with registration number ABX 7852, registered in the name of Dumisani Dube, and hatched 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.
According to the prosecution, Chikondo 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.
Malvern Mapako is representing Chikondo in the car smuggling case.
Adding to the challenges surrounding Prophet Magaya, Chikondo, who is also a member of the Zimbabwe National Army, was previously arrested for allegedly assaulting police officers. The incident occurred as law enforcement officials attempted to execute a warrant for Magaya’s arrest at his Waterfalls prayer mountain. This occurred amid fraud and rape allegations levelled against the controversial preacher, with the State accusing him of attempting to fraudulently sell land belonging to former Reserve Bank Governor, Gideon Gono.
The incident unfolded on November 1st when officers from the CID Commercial Crimes Division arrived at Magaya’s prayer mountain to arrest him. Officer-in-Charge Washington Mashizha stated that Chikondo drove up to the officers in a sky-blue Nissan Dayz, obstructing their vehicle.
Mashizha’s report detailed Chikondo’s aggressive behaviour: “He shouted that we had no permission to be where we were since the place was his. He then charged towards Detective Assistant Inspector Chifamba and pushed him to the ground before we managed to restrain and handcuff him.”
The police further allege that Chikondo has a history of aggressive conduct and has been implicated in other alleged assaults involving Magaya’s aides.
In his defence during the previous assault case, Chikondo’s lawyer, Stephen Chikotora, argued that his client was being made a scapegoat in a broader investigation targeting Magaya. “The accused was merely at the boom gate when detectives went to arrest Prophet Magaya,” Chikotora told the court. “He never interfered with the arrest and was not even aware of what was happening up the mountain. The state is trading on speculation. This is not a serious offence – even on conviction, the maximum sentence is one year.”
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