By Chantelle Muzanenhamo
PROPHETIC Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries leader Walter Magaya, who is facing 78 counts of fraud and five charges of rape, allegedly fathered a child with one of his victims, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has revealed.
According to the NPA, Magaya is accused of raping two women on five separate occasions between 2018 and 2023.
One of the complainants reportedly fell pregnant during that period, allegedly as a result of the sexual assaults.
“Magaya allegedly has a child with the first complainant as a result of rape. The accused person tried to cover his tracks by promising compensation to the complainants and coercing them to record videos claiming that they were not raped,” said the NPA in a statement.
Prosecutors allege that Magaya would lure his victims to hotel rooms, where the rapes are said to have taken place.
On Tuesday, High Court judge Justice Gibson Mandaza granted Magaya US$3,000 bail and ordered him to surrender the title deeds to his Mt Pleasant home as part of his bail conditions.
Magaya, who leads one of Zimbabwe’s largest Pentecostal churches, is expected to return to court for trial proceedings as investigations continue.