Violence As ‘Prophet’ Walter Magaya Confronted On Stage Over Rape, Chipo’s Murder, USD500,00 Fraud

11 March 2024

Spread the love

By A Correspondent | ZimEye | In a dramatic turn of events on Sunday, March 10th, Prosperity Healing And Deliverance Ministries founder, Walter Magaya, became the center of a serious allegation during his church service. A group of six women disrupted the 6 hour service in a protest accusing Magaya of rape, an incident that quickly escalated into violence, with some parts captured on camera after Magaya’s senior staff members both threatened and unleashed violence.

One of the women the PHD staff contingent targeted is both a rape and a fraud victim, who is heard on video demanding her mother’s USD500,000 which Magaya (who’s facing similar claims from nearly 100 other people including some Israeli investors) allegedly defrauded the family.

The earliest stages of the confrontation (which comes at a time the preacher has lost a high court case against the gender commission as judges declare that he cannot block an investigation into alleged abuses of a large number of women) was captured on the following video:

The situation intensified as the protesters clashed with a church overseer, identified as Clive Musango, leading to injuries among the protesters. One woman, speaking to a ZimEye correspondent, recounted their ordeal, detailing how the protest descended into physical violence. She reported attempts to livestream the incident were thwarted, and her braids were pulled during the altercation. A particularly concerning account involved one of the protesters sustaining serious injuries, bleeding from the mouth, nose, and ear. However, when they sought police intervention, they faced dismissiveness, with officers at Waterfalls police station allegedly refusing to handle cases related to Magaya.

The protesters, who targeted a moment when the church’s PA system had shut down, found their efforts to document the incident hampered when their phone was smashed. Despite this, they assert they have more footage to share. The group, which had no broader support, had hoped to find some sympathy from members of Magaya’s congregation upon their arrival at the church premises in Zindoga, Waterfalls.

The woman’s narrative raises grave concerns about the handling of sexual abuse allegations within the church community. She expressed distrust towards Magaya’s wife, Tendai, whom she accuses of being unresponsive to previous reports of rape. The mention of a woman and her mother, allegedly defrauded of USD 500,000 by the church founder, adds another layer of complexity to the accusations.

As the protesters sought medical attention at a hospital, their desperation and determination for justice were palpable. The incident not only highlights the alleged victims’ plight but also casts a shadow on the church’s leadership and the broader issue of how allegations of sexual misconduct are addressed in religious communities. This breaking news is a developing story, with more information expected to emerge as the protesters manage to share additional footage and as responses from the church and law enforcement become available.

The protester’s brief account to ZimEye was as follows

– On the protest and its aftermath: “I tried to click the link [so to livestream] when they were beating everyone, but failed…They pulled my braids during the protest. One of the girls was injured badly. She was bleeding from the mouth, nose, and ear.”
– On the police response: “The police at Waterfalls said we do not do Magaya cases. An inspector even said I can even give you Magaya’s overseers number,” implying the cops report to Magaya.
– On seeking medical attention: “We are in the queue at [name withheld] Within the next 30 min if we are not attended, we will go another hospital.”

– Cops at Waterfalls Police station claimed to the women that the nation’s justice system does not accept medical reports from private hospitals, which is not true, and may be a way of eliminating them once they are in a state institution run by govt doctors who have a reputation of killing people since the Gukurahundi massacres.

– On documenting the incident: “The phone that took most of the footage was smashed. We have more footage, and I shall try to send.”
– On the reason for the protest: “There is a girl who was raped and her mother was duped USD500,000. I can’t give you the girls’ names at the moment.”
– On their lack of support: “We were six girls. We didn’t have any support.”
– On reaching out to Magaya’s wife: “Women have gone to Tendai, (Magaya’s wife) Women have gone to her to report these rapes…It seems she gets abused [so she cannot do anything.]”

Meanwhile, below was the altercation with the Overseer, Clive Musango, that triggered the violence.

Victim : “So, you think you won’t be arrested?”

Overseer : “Why don’t you just go ahead and report it at Headquarters?”

Victim : “You think you won’t be arrested?”

Overseer : “I said, if you felt threatened or were about to be killed, you should go ahead and report it at HQ.”

Victim : “I asked you if you think you won’t be arrested.”

Overseer : “I suggested that you should prepare and submit a report. Just file the report at the police… What seems to be the problem?”

Victim : “But you, why are you here where we are standing?”

Overseer : “You entered our premises. These are our premises.”

Victim : “It’s a public space.”

Overseer : “This is our premises.”

Victim : “You registered a non-governmental organisation.”

Overseer : “This is our premises

Victim : “We are here here.”

Overseer : “If you try to film we will beat you up.”

Victim : “Okay, beat up, beat up, beat up, that is what we are waiting for. Isn’t it last time you said that you will kill me? No, no, no, in terms of killing we do not kill.”

Overseer : “The thing of killing, we do not do that. The law is just there, clear, so it cannot be evaded. So all you need to do is to just abide by the law, you cannot evade the law. Do you run away from the Law? You just need to abide by the law.”

Victim : “Isn’t it you said that you want to beat us up?”

Overseer : “No, there is no one who beat anyone up.”

Victim : “You said that you want to beat us up.”

Overseer : “There is no one who has assaulted anyone.”

Victim : “I said since you stated that you want to beat us up, wait for your moment. What we are doing is not out of order. We want to expose you. We are not going to fail to expose you.”

Overseer : “Hey you, we are used to these videos. I even come on live video right now, I am live. These are petty issues.”

Victim : “You want to kill someone.”