The High Court has postponed the bail hearing of Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries leader, Walter Magaya, who is facing four counts of rape. Magaya appeared before High Court judge, Justice Gibson Mandaza, but the matter was deferred to a later date.
He was initially arrested on January 26 and appeared before the Harare Magistrates’ Court before being rearrested following the addition of further rape and fraud charges.
The new allegations relate to incidents said to have occurred between 2016 and 2023 involving four complainants. Prosecutors allege that all the complainants were either congregants or individuals employed by entities linked to Magaya.
According to the State, the first count stems from an alleged incident in 2020 involving a 24-year-old woman who claims to have been invited to a hotel room for what was supposed to be a Bible study session, before she was later confined to that room.
The second allegation involves a 22-year-old woman who says she was instructed to stay at Yadah Hotel, in 2023, for prayers related to spiritual concerns. The State asserts that the alleged offence occurred in the hotel’s Presidential Suite.
The third count dates back to 2016, with a 32-year-old complainant alleging that she was offered employment in a housing project before being taken to a house in Borrowdale, where the alleged offence took place.
The fourth allegation concerns a 21-year-old shop attendant, who claims she was invited to a hotel as a reward for strong sales of Magaya’s books before being confined in a room.
The trial is scheduled to begin on February 16.
