Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries founder Walter Magaya's wife, Tendai, has been granted US$500 bail by Harare magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa in a case she is accused of fraud.
The magistrate ruled that the State had failed to present compelling reasons to justify keeping her in custody.
She is jointly charged with her husband, Walter Magaya, and their company Planet Africa, represented by Tendai Chinguwa. The trio is accused of defrauding members of the public and congregants of PHD Ministries through a bogus housing and investment scheme.
According to the State, the alleged scam saw the ministry and its associated companies receiving over US$50,000, R195,000, and ZW$1,000 from victims, none of which has been recovered.
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In her ruling, Magistrate Gofa said that although Tendai Magaya faces a serious charge, this alone could not justify denying her bail.
"In casu, the court finds that the submissions by the accused are plausible," Gofa said. "The accused person is not a flight risk. If the State started investigating her in 2023, it shows she has been aware and could have fled to the UK, South Africa, or any other country, but she did not. Denying her bail given this would be tantamount to a travesty of justice; it defies common sense."
The magistrate added that any fears raised by the State could be adequately addressed through bail conditions.
Gofa described her as "a good candidate for bail," noting that she has a fixed address and has not shown any intention to abscond. She was ordered to deposit US$500, surrender her passport, report once every two weeks at Waterfalls Police Station, reside at her current address, and not interfere with witnesses.
She was remanded to November 18, the same date as her husband, Walter Magaya.
Prosecutors allege that sometime in 2016, the accused misrepresented that they had acquired land in several areas across the country, including Chishawasha, Norton, Westgate, Mutare, Bulawayo, Kwekwe, Arcturus, Ruwa, Manyame, and Nyatsime, for housing, farming, bee-keeping, and mining projects meant to benefit church members and the public.
During a church service that was also broadcast live on Yadah Television, it is alleged that they announced that "God had instructed them to help members acquire residential stands and houses," claiming the projects would be managed through Planet Africa and Yadah Connect.
Pamphlets featuring Bible verses and images of the purported land and houses were distributed to lure followers.
The State further alleges that congregants were invited to buy stands and invest in various ventures, including mining and farming projects, with promises of a 50% return after six months. Many members reportedly paid thousands of dollars to the companies and signed memoranda of understanding falsely indicating that the firms had been allocated land by the Ministry of Local Government.
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In 2017, after complaints began surfacing, the accused allegedly sought to restore confidence by entering into a one-season farming contract with former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Dr Gideon Gono at New Donnington Farm in Norton. They reportedly took congregants to the property, falsely claiming ownership and that it was ready for stand allocations, even though the farm belonged to Dr Gono and was not for sale.
