Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries leader Walter Magaya was remanded in custody on Monday and will remain detained until February 16, when his trial is set to begin. The trial is scheduled to run continuously until February 19, during which he will face four rape charges.
Magaya appeared before Harare magistrate Letwin Rwodzi and did not contest his placement on remand. The State, however, objected to bail, arguing that the charges fall under the Third Schedule of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act, which restricts bail applications to the High Court.
Addressing the court, prosecutor Clemence Chimbari, with assistance from Tendai Shonhai, said the prosecution would supply the defence with trial papers by February 11. Chimbari emphasized that because the matter is a Third Schedule offence, bail can only be considered by the High Court, and confirmed that the case would be heard on a continuous roll from February 16 to 19.
Magaya is being represented by lawyers Admire Rubaya and Everson Chatambudza. Rubaya informed the court that the defence intended to approach the High Court for bail at the earliest opportunity.
According to the prosecution, the case involves four complainants, all alleged to have been members of Magaya’s church.
The first allegation concerns a 24-year-old Harare woman who was reportedly invited to church-related activities in July 2020 before being sexually assaulted at a hotel without her consent. The State says she later confided in a relative and eventually reported the matter to police after becoming aware of similar accusations against Magaya.
The second charge involves a 22-year-old woman from Chegutu who was allegedly sent to Harare for prayers and housed at a hotel. Prosecutors claim she was sexually assaulted in 2023 and threatened into silence. She later reported the incident to police and underwent a medical examination, the results of which are expected to be presented in court.
On the third count, the State alleges that a 32-year-old Harare woman, who knew Magaya as her pastor, was promised employment linked to a housing project in 2016. Prosecutors say she was enticed to a property in Borrowdale, where she was sexually assaulted. Medical evidence is also anticipated in this matter.
The fourth allegation relates to a 21-year-old woman from Chegutu who allegedly assisted with marketing a church publication. The State claims that after staying at a hotel, she was summoned to a suite, left alone with Magaya, and sexually assaulted. She is said to have reported the incident to relatives and later to the police, and also underwent a medical examination.
In all four cases, prosecutors maintain that the alleged acts were non-consensual and that Magaya had no lawful basis to engage in sexual activity with the complainants without their consent.
Although the defence did not oppose remand, Rubaya strongly criticised the manner in which Magaya was arrested, alleging it was intended to ensure his continued detention. He told the court that the trial was supposed to proceed that day but witnesses were unavailable, claiming one was in Ireland and that another complainant had written to the Prosecutor General withdrawing her allegations.
Faced with those circumstances, Rubaya alleged that authorities conspired to re-arrest Magaya to keep him in custody, describing the situation as “a sad day for justice” and warning against sacrificing justice “on the altar of relevance.”
Chimbari rejected the defence’s assertions, stating that the arrest followed the completion of investigations and was based on reasonable suspicion that offences had been committed.
Magaya remains in custody as he awaits the start of his trial on February 16.
