HARARE
–
Prophetic
Healing
and
Deliverance
(PHD)
Ministries
founder
Walter
Magaya
has
been
granted
US$3,000
bail
by
the
Harare
High
Court
following
his
arrest
last
week
on
rape
and
fraud
charges.
Magaya,
who
denies
the
allegations,
was
ordered
to
surrender
his
passport
and
title
deeds
as
part
of
his
bail
conditions.
Justice
Gibson
Mandaza
ordered
Magaya’s
release
following
a
virtual
hearing.
The
preacher
was
arrested
together
with
his
wife,
Tendai,
and
a
company
representative,
who
were
each
granted
US$300
bail
last
week.
The
couple
faces
13
counts
of
fraud
for
allegedly
swindling
home-seekers
through
a
failed
housing
and
investment
scheme
operated
under
their
companies,
Planet
Africa
(Pvt)
Ltd
and
Yadah
Connect
(Pvt)
Ltd.
Prosecutors
allege
that
Magaya
and
his
wife
misrepresented
to
their
followers
that
they
had
secured
large
tracts
of
land
for
residential
projects
in
Chishawasha,
Norton,
Westgate,
Fern
Valley
(Mutare),
Bulawayo,
Kwekwe,
Arcturus,
Ruwa,
Manyame
and
Nyatsime.
The
firms
allegedly
collected
about
US$50,000
and
R190,000
from
prospective
homeowners
for
stands
that
never
materialised.
In
his
bail
application,
Magaya
dwelt
much
on
the
rape
charges.
Represented
by
lawyer
Admire
Rubaya,
he
dismissed
the
allegations
as
fabrications
“at
the
instance
of
the
Zimbabwe
Gender
Commission”
which
he
said
“has
misused
its
powers
to
force
these
two
complainants
into
concocting
all
manner
of
allegations”
against
him.
He
accused
the
commission
of
“a
clear
and
brazen
abuse
of
the
criminal
justice
system,”
saying
it
was
“grandstanding
and
playing
to
the
cameras”
to
appear
as
though
it
was
defending
women’s
rights.
“The
applicant
is,
in
fact,
the
victim
of
a
calculated
campaign.
This
ploy
appears
designed
to
create
a
public
spectacle
of
efficiency
for
the
commission,
achieved
only
through
the
wholesale
vilification
and
character
assassination
of
the
applicant,”
Rubaya
argued
in
court
papers.
Magaya
further
claimed
that
the
rape
complaints
were
not
voluntary,
but
were
made
“after
adverts
were
flighted
in
the
media
inviting
alleged
victims
to
approach
the
Gender
Commission.”
He
maintained
his
innocence,
saying:
“The
applicant
denies
that
he
unlawfully
and
intentionally
had
sexual
intercourse
with
the
alleged
complainants
in
the
manner
alleged
or
at
all.”
Magaya
also
rejected
claims
that
he
interfered
with
the
complainants,
arguing
that
“he
does
not
control
the
police
and
cannot
be
persecuted
for
the
alleged
conduct
of
other
individuals
not
connected
to
him.”
The
high-profile
preacher,
who
has
previously
faced
a
number
of
legal
disputes,
said
his
detractors
were
working
“day
and
night”
to
destroy
him
and
his
ministry.
The
matter
is
scheduled
to
return
to
the
Harare
Magistrates’
Court
on
November
18
for
routine
remand.