HARARE – After over a decade of inaction, Walter Magaya, founder of the Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries, was arrested on Saturday on charges of rape and fraud, according to a police statement.
The 41-year-old preacher was taken into custody by detectives who arrived at his Harare church offices in several unmarked vehicles.
Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrest, saying:
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police confirms the arrest of church leader Walter Magaya in connection with several reports of rape and fraud. The suspect was arrested early today by a police crack team.”
Magaya has faced rape allegations for years, with multiple female congregants accusing him of sexual abuse. Despite these claims, authorities had not previously taken action.
The Zimbabwe Gender Commission had also conducted an investigation into the allegations, though its findings were never made public.
In 2019, Magaya was convicted of fraud and fined $700 (£540) for falsely claiming he had a herbal cure for HIV and Aids.
The PHD founder had earlier pleaded guilty to contravening the Medicines Control Act by selling an unapproved drug.
He had told his congregation in October that year that the drug, named aguma, had magical powers to destroy the Aids virus within 14 days.
“The herb is 100% organic. Why I say so is because we found out that there are no side effects,” he was quoted as saying.
According to the charge sheet Magaya and others “destroyed some of the exhibits by flushing them in the office toilets and burning containers which were, however, recovered half-burnt”.
“Several aguma sachets and other torn sachets were also recovered in an office bin,” the charge sheet added.
