STAFF WRITER
A PROMINENT Zimbabwean preacher Walter Magaya, the founder of Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries, appeared in a Harare magistrate’s court on Monday, where the state successfully argued that his alleged crimes are so serious that only the High Court may grant him bail.
Magaya did not oppose being placed on remand ahead of his trial, which is scheduled to run from February 16th to 19th.
However, his lawyer, Admire Rubaya, launched a sharp attack on the prosecution’s conduct, claiming the re-arrest was a “connived” tactic to keep his client detained after the state’s case appeared to weaken.
He told the court one key witness was abroad and another complainant had withdrawn her allegations.
The state prosecutor, Clemence Chimbari, dismissed these claims, stating the arrest followed completed investigations.
The charges, detailed in court papers, follow a familiar pattern across four separate counts.
In each instance, the complainants—all women said to have been congregants of Magaya—were allegedly invited to church-related activities, offered employment or assistance, and then assaulted in hotels or private properties in and around Harare between 2016 and 2023.
The state alleges the acts were non-consensual and that Magaya “had no right whatsoever” to have intercourse with the women without their consent.
Medical evidence is expected to be presented for several complainants.
The prosecution’s decision to invoke the Third Schedule of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act, reserving bail for the High Court, signals the gravity with which authorities are treating the allegations.