THE Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) is investigating allegations of sexual abuse of women being levelled against Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries founder Prophet Walter Magaya.
The constitutional and independent body’s mandate is to investigate possible violations of rights relating to gender and to receive and consider complaints from the public.
In July 2019, Magaya made headlines in the media after an actress Ms Charity Dlodlo accused him of raping her.
Interestingly, after some days, Ms Dlodlo made an about turn saying the man of the cloth had never done her any harm.
She eventually apologised saying the allegations were false and she had been used by demons to “distract the work God was doing” through Magaya.
Earlier, some parents had claimed that their daughter was raped by the Prophet Magaya, only for the alleged victim to dismiss the claim.
The Commission’s investigation which was gazetted on August 23, 2019 under General Notice No. 1444/2019 was halted following Magaya’s legal challenge.
In a statement, ZGC said it resolved to commence investigations of the allegations during its meeting on August 4 this year.
The courts have since given legal judgments under case numbers SC592/19, HC7347/19 and HH688/19, which have paved way for ZGC to start investigations.
“We are happy that the courts have given legal judgments which paved the way for the continuance of our processes. We are therefore calling on all citizens who might have complaints of sexual exploitation and abuse involving the conduct of Walter Magaya to present particulars of their complaints to the Zimbabwe Gender Commission,” read the ZGC statement
The Commission said the invitation is also extended to all the complainants and witnesses to such acts who are members of Prophet Magaya’s church.
The Commission said all the complainants should be referred to its chief executive officer.
In 2014, Magaya was slapped with US$500 000 lawsuit for allegedly dating a married congregant. At one time, he sent the woman text love messages, describing her as sexually attractive and highly mobile.
The application by the woman’s aggrieved husband Mr Denford Chimutashu was filed at the Harare High Court.
He also reportedly bought the plaintiff, Mr Chimutashu’s wife, Nomsa Chimutashu (nee Ruvazhe), a Toyota Mark II, which cost US$10 000.
In the court papers, Mr Chimutashu said the illicit affair between Prophet Magaya and his wife disturbed him to the extent that he was bedridden due to excessive stress. – The Chronicle
