Prosper Dembedza
Herald Correspondent
HIGH Court judge Justice Gibson Mandaza has granted US$3 000 bail to PHD leader Walter Magaya, who is facing fraud and rape allegations.
As part of his bail conditions, Magaya was ordered to surrender the title deeds of his Mt Pleasant home and his passport.
He was also ordered to report to the police twice a week on Mondays and Fridays.
Magaya was arrested on November 1 while fasting at his prayer mountain by more than 30 police officers, a crack team assembled for that purpose.
Allegations are that the Magayas, who are directors of Planet Africa and Yadah Connect, sometime during the year 2016, allegedly connived to defraud PHD Ministries congregants and other homeseekers by misrepresenting that they had acquired land for the construction of houses.
They allegedly said they had land in Chishawasha, Norton, Westgate, Fern Valley Mutare, Bulawayo, Kwekwe, Arcturus, Ruwa, Manyame and Nyatsime.
It is alleged that in pursuance of the misrepresentation, the Magayas held a church service at PHD Ministries where they told congregants that there was land for development.
Magaya allegedly announced that God had instructed him to assist members of the church and others to build houses.
He allegedly told interested members that they were supposed to buy the land from Planet Africa.
In the alleged misrepresentation, Magaya and his wife allegedly produced and distributed a pamphlet with pictures of the purported land.
They allegedly further misrepresented by advertising mining, farming and beekeeping projects, which they said would assist members in building their houses.
During the same year, 2016, the complainants paid their money at the church offices. The accused signed memoranda of understanding with the complainants, where, in the preamble, they misrepresented to the complainants that Planet Africa had been allocated land by the Local Government and Public Works ministry, knowing very well that there was no such land that had been allocated to Planet Africa.
To keep the complainants hopeful, in 2017, the Magayas, acting in connivance, allegedly approached former central bank governor Gideon Gono seeking a farming contract at New Donnington Farms on a lease basis for a year.
It is alleged that Magaya transported the congregants to New Donnington Farm in Norton and misrepresented that he was the owner of the farm.
The complainants later picked up information that the farm they were shown belonged to Gono.
It is alleged that PHD Ministries received US$1 600, R5 000, while Planet Africa (Private) Limited received a total of US$27 300.
According to the State, Yadah Connect received US$21 340, R190 000 and ZWL1 000 and nothing was recovered.
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