05/11/2025
ð ðŒð¿ð² ðœð®ð¶ð» ð³ðŒð¿ ð¶ð»ð°ð®ð¿ð°ð²ð¿ð®ðð²ð± ð ð®ðŽð®ðð®
FOLLOW THIS CHANNEL
https://chat.whatsapp.com/JIfV1nQn1YC4FxOc5kupKD?mode=wwt
By Desmond Chingarande | Newsday
PHD Ministries leader Walter Magaya, who is facing r**e and fraud charges, will stay longer in detention after Harare magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa yesterday dismissed an application for his release.
The cleric was arrested on Saturday. His wife, Tendai, who was also arrested on the same day, was released on US$500 bail.
Magaya and his wife are facing fraud charges linked to a multi-million-dollar housing project that allegedly never materialised.
The PHD Ministries leader is also facing a charge of r**e and was advised to apply for bail at the High Court since it is a third schedule offence.
Magaya, his wife and their companies, Planet Africa and Yadah Connect, are being charged together.
He is expected back in court on November 18 this year.
In granting Magayaâs wife bail, Gofa ruled that Tendai was not a flight risk and that the State had failed to submit plausible reasons to deny her bail.
In addition to paying US$500, she was ordered to surrender her passport, report once a fortnight at the nearest police station and not to interfere with witnesses.
âThe fact that the accused is facing a serious offence does not bar the court from granting her bail. The court finds that at least the accused gave a plausible reason for the court to rule otherwise . . . and that the issues submitted by the State do not show compelling reasons,â Gofa ruled.
âSurely for two years the State has not finalised the investigations. Since 2023, she could have run away to the United Kingdom, so she is not a flight risk.
âThe law requires investigating before arrest [and] not [to] arrest and investigate. The Stateâs allegations against the accused person are too weak to deny her bail.â
Magaya, however, elected not to apply for bail on fraud charges at the magistrates court, saying they will submit the bail application at the same time as that for r**e at the High Court.
Allegations are that the Magayas, who are directors of Planet Africa and Yadah Connect, sometime in 2016, allegedly connived to defraud PHD Ministriesâ congregants and other homeseekers by misrepresenting that they had acquired land for the construction of houses.
The couple allegedly said they had land in Chishawasha, Norton, Westgate, Fern Valley in Mutare, Bulawayo, Kwekwe, Arcturus, Ruwa, Manyame and Nyatsime.
It is alleged that in pursuance of the misrepresentation, the Magayas held a church service at PHD Ministries where they told congregants that there was land for development.
Magaya allegedly announced that God had instructed him to assist members of the church and others to build houses.
He allegedly told members that they were supposed to buy the land from Planet Africa.
In the alleged misrepresentation, Magaya and his wife allegedly produced and distributed a pamphlet with pictures of the purported land.
They allegedly further misrepresented by advertising mining, farming and beekeeping projects, which they said would assist members in building the houses.
During the same year, the complainants paid various amounts at the church offices.
The accused signed memoranda of understanding with the complainants, where, in the preamble, they misrepresented to the complainants that Planet Africa had been allocated land by the Local Government and Public Works ministry.
To keep the complainants hopeful, in 2017, the Magayas, acting in connivance, allegedly approached former central bank governor Gideon Gono seeking a farming contract at New Donnington Farms on a lease basis for a year.
It is alleged that Magaya transported the congregants to New Donnington Farm in Norton and misrepresented that he was the owner of the farm.
The complainants later picked up information that the farm they were shown belonged to Gono.
It is alleged that PHD Ministries received US$1 600, R5 000, while Planet Africa (Private) Limited received a total of US$27 300.
According to the State, Yadah Connect received US$21 340, R190 000 and ZWD1 000 and nothing was recovered.
______