Walter Magaya And His Wife Faces 13 Counts Of Fraud In Housing Scheme

The founder of the Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries, Walter Magaya, stood handcuffed in a Harare courtroom this week alongside his wife, Tendai, to face a staggering 13 counts of fraud. The charges stem from a multi-million-dollar church housing initiative that prosecutors allege was nothing more than an elaborate mirage designed to swindle his own congregation.

Also named in the case are the couple’s companies, Planet Africa (Pvt) Ltd and Yadah Connect (Pvt) Ltd, which were represented in court by their operations manager, Tatenda Chinguwa.

The state’s case alleges that between 2016 and 2018, the charismatic preacher used his pulpit and his broadcast network, Yadah TV, to lure in investors and faithful followers. He is accused of announcing a grand, nationwide property project, claiming it was born from a divine mandate.

“The court heard that Magaya told congregants that God had instructed him to help believers build homes,” a court official present during the proceedings confirmed.

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The ambitious plan allegedly encompassed residential stands and investment projects in areas including Chishawasha, Norton, Westgate, Mutare, and Bulawayo. The couple’s companies offered a complete package; Planet Africa would sell the stands, while Yadah Connect would supposedly build the houses. Furthermore, members were enticed with offers to invest in associated mining, farming, and bee-keeping ventures, with promises of a fifty percent return on their investment after just six months.

Walter Magaya And Wife Face 13 Counts Of Fraud

In a move that added a veneer of spiritual legitimacy to the enterprise, the campaign reportedly made use of professionally designed brochures. These materials featured imagery of idyllic houses and plots and were emblazoned with the Bible verse Genesis 13:9: “A vast land is out there and available to you.”

However, prosecutors assert that these representations were entirely false. They contend that no such land had ever been secured for the project. According to the state, at least thirteen complainants paid tens of thousands of US dollars for stands and investments that never materialised and for which they never received a refund.

The couple’s legal team, lawyers Admire Rubaya and Everson Chatambudza, immediately launched a fierce counter-attack, not on the fraud charges themselves, but on the circumstances of their clients’ arrest and detention. They argued before Harare magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa that the pair had been held unlawfully by the police for over the constitutionally mandated 48-hour period.

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Lawyer Admire Rubaya provided a dramatic account of the arrest, stating,

“Magaya was arrested at 5AM while praying at his prayer mountain by over thirty armed officers. He was not allowed to contact his lawyers until after 11:30AM.”

He further detailed the difficulties in accessing his clients, revealing,

“We visited CID Headquarters where we were told they were being held, but we were informed they were not there. They were not given access to their lawyers until after 11:30AM on November 1, when a police officer who is also a lawyer, Julia Chidumwa, intervened.”

Rubaya argued that this over-detention was a fundamental breach of their rights, rendering their court appearance invalid.

“The constitution is clear , the law applies equally to all, including the state,” he argued. “You cannot put something on nothing; it will collapse. Once the state admits over-detention, this court must release the accused unconditionally.”

Prosecutor Clemence Chimbari conceded that the detention period had been exceeded but contended that the matter of constitutional violation should be pursued in a higher court. Magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa has reserved her judgment on this specific application.

As the fraud hearing concluded, the courtroom was cleared for a separate, in-camera hearing into unrelated rape charges also faced by the preacher.

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