Pastor Convicted After Claiming To Have The Cure For HIV And Aids

Pastor Convicted After Claiming To Have The Cure For HIV And Aids

A court in Zimbabwe has convicted a popular self-styled prophet of
fraud and fined him $700 (£540) for falsely claiming he had a herbal
cure for HIV and Aids.

Walter Magaya earlier pleaded guilty to contravening the Medicines Control Act by selling an unapproved drug.

Police arrested him in November, and seized a herbal drug which he said could cure people who had HIV and Aids.

Zimbabwe has the sixth highest HIV prevalence rate in sub-Saharan Africa.

About 1.3 million people were living with HIV, according to UN data compiled in 2016.

The
35-year-old Magaya is among a group of young, brash and flashy
religious figures who have emerged during Zimbabwe’s economic crisis,
attracting a huge number of followers with promises of miracle healing
and miracle money, says the BBC’s Shingai Nyoka in the capital, Harare.

He
told his congregation in October that the drug, named Aguma, had
magical powers to destroy the AIDS virus within 14 days, the privately
owned New Zimbabwe reported at the time.

“The herb is 100% organic. Why I say so is because we found out that there are no side effects,” he was quoted as saying.

The government branded his claim as criminal, and police raided his offices.

The
charge sheet said that just before the search, Magaya and others
“destroyed some of the exhibits by flushing them in the office toilets
and burning containers which were, however, recovered half-burnt”.

“Several Aguma sachets and other torn sachets were also recovered in an office bin,” the charge sheet added.

The
pastor’s lawyer, Everson Chatambudza, told the court that Magaya
believed the drug was authentic but admitted breaching the law by
distributing it without the health ministry’s approval, the state-run
Herald newspaper reported.

Magaya attempted to comply with the law
by notifying the ministry of the drug, but he did not get any response,
Mr Chatambudza was quoted as saying.

Magaya had also launched a lipstick last year which he claimed could improve blood pressure.