WHAT was expected to be a routine court appearance for Prophet Walter Magaya turned dramatic yesterday when he was arrested at court and detained in custody facing a flurry of fresh rape accusations. Magaya was all smiles, wearing a business suit, when he arrived at the Harare Magistrates Court, in the company of his wife, yesterday morning. There was no indication of the drama, which exploded after his court appearance, as he was arrested on fresh charges of rape.
His lawyer said he was bundled into a minibus, which did not have any seats, and ordered to sit on the vehicle’s floor. However, this time there was no freedom for him as he was remanded in custody. In his latest brush with the law, the court heard that the complainant and her parents were congregants at Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries.
In June 2020, Magaya allegedly invited and offered the complainant a job to work as a ministerial voluntary worker at PHD call centre. She accepted the invitation and went to stay at the church hotel. Prosecutors alleged that on July 26, 2020, Magaya invited her to Villa 13, a hotel room, through a WhatsApp message to the usual Bible Study which used to be attended by most youths.
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Upon arrival, she found Magaya in the room, with another female staff member of the Hotel, watching a movie. Suddenly the female staff member went out of the hotel room and locked Magaya and the complainant inside the room. He allegedly grabbed her and raped her.
The next day, the complainant allegedly called her stepfather and told him about the rape. She reported the matter after she got information that Magaya had been arrested for similar offences. The State, in the second count, claimed that the complainant is 22-years-old and went to Magaya’s church from 2014 to 2023.
Allegations are that in 2022, the complainant attended a church service at PHD Ministries in Chegutu. One of the church elders phoned and advised Prophet Walter Magaya that she had manifested and he asked the complainant to proceed to PHD Ministries, Harare, for prayers. The following day, the complainant and her mother then proceeded to PHD Ministries in Harare.
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