The dramatic arrest and remand of prominent preacher and businessman Walter Magaya has reignited public debate over corruption allegations linked to the once-powerful Generation 40 (G40) political faction. The case has drawn renewed attention to former tourism and foreign affairs minister Walter Mzembi, who has been on remand for months on theft and abuse-of-office charges. Court filings and media reports indicate possible overlaps between the two men’s dealings, with investigators said to be examining whether their cases intersect in any material way.
Magaya was arrested in early November 2025 in a Zimbabwe Republic Police operation responding to multiple complaints. According to police and prosecution documents, the charismatic preacher faces allegations of rape and several counts of fraud. Prosecutors accuse him of masterminding schemes through his business entities that allegedly sold non-existent residential stands and solicited investment funds that were never delivered. The remand papers allege Magaya “hatched a plan to defraud” members of his Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries and other citizens between 2016 and 2018.
Mzembi, meanwhile, remains on remand facing long-standing corruption charges dating back to his tenure as tourism minister under the late former president Robert Mugabe. He stands accused of misusing public resources procured for the 2010 FIFA World Cup fan parks, including 16 large television screens, and of converting some of the equipment to personal or unauthorised use. Prosecutors allege that some of the television sets were donated to churches and private institutions without Treasury approval, with Magaya’s PHD Ministries named among the alleged beneficiaries in multiple media reports and court summaries.
Magaya Arrest Rekindles Spotlight on G40-Era Corruption Scandals
These links have raised eyebrows within legal and political circles. Investigators are said to be tracing the chain of custody for the television sets and mapping financial flows related to tourism funds and event procurements to establish whether there were deeper networks of benefit among G40 associates. The line of inquiry includes verifying whether Magaya’s ministry and other named churches received the donated equipment and under what authority such transfers were made.
Magaya’s prominence in national affairs rose sharply in the mid-2010s. His ministry drew thousands of followers and attracted high-profile attention from politicians during the Mugabe era. In 2015, Magaya made headlines when he purchased a pictorial biography of First Lady Grace Mugabe for US$50,000 at a ZANU PF fundraising gala — a gesture widely interpreted as a symbol of loyalty to the then-rising G40 faction led by Grace Mugabe and her allies. Contemporary reports and academic analyses from that period routinely described Magaya as a supporter of Grace Mugabe and a beneficiary of the faction’s patronage networks.
Walter Mzembi, a close associate of the former First Lady, was a central figure in the G40 movement, alongside Saviour Kasukuwere, Jonathan Moyo, and others. The faction’s political influence was cut short after the 2017 military-assisted transition that ousted Robert Mugabe from power. Many G40 figures fled into exile or later faced corruption investigations and criminal trials. Mzembi returned to Zimbabwe earlier in 2025 and was promptly remanded on graft charges, which he denies.
Magaya’s current charges — particularly those relating to fraudulent land sales — echo a recurring pattern in Zimbabwe’s corruption landscape. Prosecutors allege that his companies sold or promised residential stands in various towns that did not exist or were not lawfully allocated. The alleged scams mirror long-standing controversies surrounding urban land allocation during the G40 era, when Kasukuwere, then Minister of Local Government, oversaw large-scale housing and land distribution programmes later criticised for irregularities and political favouritism.
While Magaya’s alleged fraud is distinct from ministerial misconduct, analysts note that the land-deal scandals of that era created fertile ground for opportunistic schemes that blended political access, religious influence, and business ventures. The structural overlap between political power and urban land allocation remains a key area of interest for investigators reviewing both Magaya’s and Mzembi’s dealings.
Court documents and investigative follow-ups suggest that authorities are examining two central questions:
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Whether the public television sets procured for the 2010 World Cup were improperly diverted, and if so, who authorised their transfer and who received them.
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Whether tourism-related funds or contracts during Mzembi’s tenure were linked to private beneficiaries associated with G40 networks, including Magaya’s ministry or affiliated companies.
Because Magaya’s PHD Ministries has been repeatedly named as one of the recipients of the television equipment, investigators are said to be cross-referencing his ministry’s donation records with procurement documents from Mzembi’s ministry. At the same time, Magaya’s current fraud and sexual-offence charges have placed him back under intense public scrutiny, reviving debates about the blurred boundaries between spiritual authority, business, and politics.
Legal analysts caution, however, that no formal indictment directly linking Magaya’s new charges with Mzembi’s ongoing prosecution has yet been made public. For now, the overlap remains circumstantial — a subject of investigative interest rather than a proven connection.
Observers of Zimbabwean politics warn that prosecutions of figures associated with the G40 faction often operate in a grey area between genuine anti-corruption efforts and political score-settling. Since the 2017 change of power, several former G40 members have faced criminal cases, some of which coincided with shifts in internal ZANU PF power dynamics. Critics argue that some prosecutions may serve as mechanisms of political control, while others clearly stem from legitimate law enforcement actions against financial or sexual misconduct.
Magaya’s arrest, coupled with Mzembi’s continuing legal troubles, thus encapsulates the complex legacy of the G40 era — a period marked by political patronage, blurred lines between church and state, and lingering questions about accountability. Whether the current investigations lead to joint prosecutions or remain separate will depend on the strength of evidence unearthed by investigators and the direction prosecutors choose to take.
For now, both men’s cases continue to unfold before the courts — reminders that Zimbabwe’s reckoning with corruption, power, and faith remains far from over.
Source- ZIMEYE
