Johnson Progress

In a significant ruling, the Harare Magistrates Court has dismissed an application for the immediate release of Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries founder, Prophet Walter Magaya, his wife, and an associate, while simultaneously ordering Magaya’s detention to be extended for nearly two years.

The decision comes after the trio argued their constitutional rights had been violated due to their prolonged detention.

Harare Magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa presided over the case, which consolidated separate but related applications from Magaya, his wife Tendai, and their employee, Tendai Chinguwa, a soldier who also serves as Magaya’s bodyguard.

The three were arrested last Saturday on charges of fraud and rape.

Their legal team had filed for immediate release, contending they were held unlawfully beyond the constitutionally mandated 48-hour limit stipulated in Section 50 of the Constitution.

The court acknowledged the defense’s central argument.

In her ruling, Magistrate Gofa confirmed that the accused individuals had indeed been detained for a period longer than the constitutional provision allows.

However, she determined that this violation did not warrant the extreme remedy of setting them free.

The magistrate’s rationale, the court held that while a breach occurred, it was not a sufficient reason to grant their release, noting that the appropriate avenue for such a grievance was through a separate application to the Constitutional Court.

Furthermore, the magistrate delivered a major blow to Magaya’s prospects for freedom in the near term.

She explicitly ruled that no bail application would be entertained in the lower court concerning the serious rape charge he is facing.

Consequently, Magistrate Gofa ordered that Prophet Magaya be remanded in custody until November 13, 2025.

Following this decision, Magaya’s legal team outlined their next steps.

His lawyer, Admire Rubaya, addressed the court regarding the separate fraud charges.

He stated that the defense would not be pursuing a bail application for the fraud case within the magistrates’ court, signaling a strategic shift to a higher judicial authority.

Admire Rubaya told the court, “the defense would not pursue bail for the separate fraud case at the magistrates’ court, opting instead to approach the High Court.”

Meanwhile, the legal team is preparing a separate bail application for Magaya’s wife, Tendai, who faces related charges but is not accused of rape.

The extended remand period and the dismissal of the release bid mark a serious escalation in the legal troubles facing the prominent religious leader.