Yadah Hotel, owned by Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries founder Walter Magaya, has been cleared of charges linked to the alleged possession of unregistered medicines after a Harare court found that prosecutors had failed to connect the products to the hotel.
Harare magistrate Lisa Mutendereki discharged the hotel at the close of the State’s case, bringing the prosecution to an end without requiring the hotel to present a defence. The ruling followed an application by the hotel’s lawyers, who argued that the State had not produced enough evidence to show that Yadah Hotel possessed or controlled the medicines recovered during a police search.
The hotel had been facing two counts under the Medicines and Allied Substances Control Act. The charges related to the alleged possession of unregistered medicines and unregistered complementary medicines at its premises in Waterfalls, Harare.
The case began after detectives from the Criminal Investigations Department headquarters received information that medicines which had not been registered or approved were being kept in one of the hotel’s rooms. On 1 November 2025, the detectives travelled to Yadah Hotel, identified themselves by producing their police identity cards, and explained the purpose of their visit before carrying out a door-to-door search.
The room at the centre of the case was empty when the officers searched it. They reportedly recovered several medicines and complementary products, including Cotrimoxazole tablets, Fluconazole tablets, and Liposomal Liquid Glutathione, also known as Pure Drops. Other products listed in the case included Liver Care Detox Complementary Natural Medicine and High Purity Methane Inflammation Opti-MSM Methylsulfonylmethane.
Investigators also found Compounded Prescription Weekly forms which indicated that medicines had been dispensed and administered to a person identified as Happiness Mavindire. The discovery of the forms formed part of the State’s case against the hotel; however, the prosecution was unable to establish that the documents or the medicines belonged to Yadah Hotel, or that the hotel had exercised control over the room and its contents.
In her ruling, Mutendereki found that the State had failed to establish a sufficient link between the hotel and the products recovered by the detectives. The court also noted that the room had previously been occupied by other people, leaving the prosecution unable to prove who had placed the medicines there or who was responsible for them.
The court further found that the State had not produced evidence from the relevant medicines regulatory authority to demonstrate that the seized products were not registered or regulated in Zimbabwe. That gap affected both the charge involving ordinary medicines and the charge involving complementary medicines.
The hotel was represented by Donald Makuvaza in court, while Malvern Mapako of Rubaya and Chatambudza Legal Practitioners acted for the defence. The court’s decision means the hotel was discharged before being placed on its defence.
The case unfolded as Zimbabwean authorities continued to target the movement and manufacture of medicines outside the country’s regulatory system. The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) is responsible for ensuring that medicines and allied substances are safe, effective, and of good quality. Its responsibilities include the registration of medicines, licensing of premises, and enforcement of standards affecting manufacturers, importers, distributors, and sellers.
The authority also maintains an online register of approved and registered medicines. Its regulatory work covers inspections, import and export controls, product recalls, laboratory testing, and the monitoring of suspected adverse reactions. It has published guidelines aimed at improving the traceability of medical products manufactured, imported, exported, advertised, sold, distributed, or used in Zimbabwe.
Several cases reported in recent months have shown the scale of the enforcement challenge facing the authorities. In May, police uncovered what they described as a makeshift pharmaceutical factory at a property in Zimre Park, Ruwa, on the outskirts of Harare. One suspect, Blessed Magagoyi, 25, was arrested after investigators found manufacturing equipment, finished products, raw materials, and packaging materials.
Police said the finished products included Honey Bean, Gut Restore Powered, Cynocene, Fotal Harmony, and Cardio Cene Capsule. The equipment and products were given an estimated street value of US$25,000. A second suspect, Tonee Tapiwa Vambe, was being sought as investigations continued.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said: “The ZRP confirms the arrest of Blessed Magagoyi (25) in connection with illegal manufacturing of medicines at an unlicensed premise in Zimre Park, Ruwa on May 14, 2026. The arrest led to the recovery of the medicine manufacturing equipment, finished medicinal products… and packaging equipment with an estimated street value of US$25,000.”
In a separate operation in Matabeleland North this month, police arrested 35-year-old Polite Chimoyo in Bubi District after recovering cartons of Broncleer Cough Syrup and Astra Pain Cough Syrup. The medicines were valued at about US$2,000. The arrest took place on 17 September during Operation “No to Cross Border Crimes,” an operation targeting the movement of illegal goods through routes used by cross-border traders and smugglers.
The Bubi case involved cough syrups, while the Yadah Hotel case involved a wider range of pharmaceutical and complementary products. The medicines found at the hotel included antibiotics, antifungal drugs, supplements, and products described as natural or complementary remedies.
The court’s decision in the Yadah case focused on the evidence presented against the hotel. The ruling did not determine who placed the medicines in the room; rather, it established that the prosecution had not shown that the hotel was responsible for them or that the products’ regulatory status had been proved through evidence from the relevant authority.
The acquittal brings an end to a case that began with a police search of a hotel linked to one of Zimbabwe’s best-known religious figures. Magaya founded PHD Ministries and has built a large following through church services, religious gatherings, and healing programmes. Yadah Hotel operates as part of his wider business and ministry network in Waterfalls.
For the hotel, the court’s decision removes the two medicines-related charges that had been pending since the search. For prosecutors and regulators, the case has highlighted the importance of establishing ownership, control, and regulatory evidence when medicines are recovered from commercial premises.