PROPHETIC Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries leader Prophet Walter Magaya yesterday shirked responsibility over the mysterious death of a child at his church in Waterfalls, Harare on July 9.
EVERSON MUSHAVA
Magaya’s response followed reports that police had launched investigations into his PHD ministries after the death of the seven-week-old baby on July 9 allegedly at the hands of church ushers.
Through his lawyer Everson Chatambudza of Rubaya and Chatambudza legal practitioners, Magaya confirmed the minor child died at the church’s premises, but said the matter was never reported to the police.
He said the child was brought to PHD church while he was not feeling well and had been attended to at a certain hospital in Mt Darwin and diagnosed with pneumonia.
“It is common cause the minor child was not feeling well when he was brought to the church,” Magaya’s lawyers wrote to NewsDay yesterday.
“That the child was taken by ushers at the church who on seeing the medical condition of the child took the child to a medical centre at Machipisa shopping Centre in Highfield whereupon the child was pronounced dead. A post mortem was duly carried out and the cause of the death was medically determined to be pneumonia.
The medical report is available to add to the surety of our client’s word and he is not facing murder charges as incorrectly and mischievously reported by yourselves.”
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
The lawyers added that Magaya was not under any investigations from the police on murder allegations as “stubbornly” reported by NewsDay or any such other allegations.
“The police is not even looking for our client. There is no murder docket in relation to our client or any member of PHD that has been opened by the police or at all in relation to the unfortunate and unwelcomed death of the said minor child. Worse still there is no report to that effect not only at Waterfalls Police Station, but at any other police station,” Magaya’s lawyers said.
“What is at Waterfalls Police Station is a sudden death notice report and not a murder docket, we are therefore at loss as to whether your two reporters are the ones who have preferred the murder charges upon our client and investigating the same.”
But police yesterday maintained that they were investigating circumstances surrounding the death of the seven-week child at Magaya’s church.
Harare provincial police spokesperson Tadius Chibanda maintained the case was indeed reported to the police and investigations were underway.
“The matter was reported and investigations are continuing,” Chibanda said.
Although Magaya’s lawyer said that the post-mortem report had concluded that the baby had succumbed to pneumonia, police indicated that the results would be out today.
“A post mortem was duly carried out and the cause of the death was medically determined to be pneumonia. The medical report is available to add to the surety of our client’s word that he is not facing murder charges as incorrectly and mischievously reported by yourselves,” the lawyer said.
The mother of the baby, Viola Chingara, from Mt Darwin yesterday also insisted that she reported the matter at Waterfalls Police Station under case number RRB2134808.
She claimed her son was reportedly not sick and that she was the one suffering from back ache.
“The ushers took my baby. He was not sick. After they attended to me, I was shown to my child who was dumped on the ground, unconscious. I raised my case with the ushers who then rushed with me to hospital where they told me my son was already dead when we left the church,” Chingara said.
“They (PHD) should not lie; they knew my son had already died. They detained us in a room for almost two-and-a-half hours. When we arrived at the hospital, the doctors said my child could have died of pneumonia. My child died of negligence. How can they dump a seven-week old baby on the ground unattended?”
Magaya’s lawyer, however, said the prophet has an international reputation.
“It is not in dispute that the NewsDay is published daily and widely distributed and read in Zimbabwe and the newspaper prides itself of having the best electronic website read both nationally and internationally,” the lawyers argued.
“What is apparent is that the facts were willfully and deliberately manipulated to present an untrue picture of our client’s reputation, confidence, status and above all his moral and spiritual well-being.”
