Magistrate acquits Magaya’s Yadah Hotel over unregistered medicines

Yadah Hotel, owned by Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries founder Walter Magaya, has been acquitted of possessing unregistered medicines after the state failed to link the products to the hotel.

Harare magistrate Lisa Mutendereki discharged the hotel at the close of the state case on Monday.

She ruled that there was no evidence connecting Yadah Hotel to medicines allegedly recovered during a police search.

The hotel, which was facing two counts under the Medicines and Allied Substances Control Act for allegedly possessing unregistered medicines and unregistered complementary medicines, was represented by Donald Makuvaza and Malvern Mapako of Rubaya and Chatambudza Legal Practitioners.

The prosecution had alleged that on 1 November 2025, detectives from CID Headquarters received information that the hotel was keeping unregistered and unapproved complementary medicines in one of its rooms in Waterfalls.

The detectives went to the hotel, identified themselves, and conducted a door-to-door search.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), they recovered various products from one room, including Cotrimoxazole tablets, Fluconazole tablets and Liposomal Liquid Glutathione (Pure Drops), as well as Liver Care Detox Complementary Natural Medicine and High Purity Methane Inflammation Opti-MSM Methylsulfonylmethane.

They also reportedly found Compounded Prescription Weekly forms showing the dispensing and administration of medicines to one Happiness Mavindire in the same room.

In its ruling, however, the court found that the state had failed to establish that the medicines belonged to or were possessed by Yadah Hotel.

It noted that the room had been occupied by other people, raising doubt over the attempt to attribute possession to the hotel.

The court further found that the state had not led evidence from the medicines regulatory authority to prove that the seized products were unregistered or unregulated in Zimbabwe.

With the essential link not established, the application for discharge was granted.

More: ZimLive