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DOMBO Projects, 6050 old Pretoria steet, Midrand (2026)

14/04/2026

*Caretaker takes over the employer’s rural home; over 200 schools in Bulawayo operating illegally*

A 52-year-old truck driver died after the vehicle he was driving plunged into a river and became submerged. Midlands provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko, confirmed the incident, which occurred on 10 April 2026 at around 4 pm along the Masvingo–Mbalabala Road at the Ngezi River Bridge in Zvishavane. It is alleged that Silas Nyengetera, of Tarusenga Village under Chief Mazungunye in Bikita, was driving a heavy-duty Shacman truck towing two trailers when the accident occurred. _*— Pindula*_

A Marondera-based man has lost his rural home to a young man he had employed as a caretaker, allowing him to live on the property rent-free while ensuring its safety. Samuel Nyambudzi has dragged his former house help, Shelton Toro, before Chief Mutasa’s community court in a bid to reclaim his homestead. According to Nyambudzi, the relationship soured after Toro was dismissed from employment. Instead of vacating the property, Toro allegedly entrenched himself at the homestead, locking Nyambudzi out and behaving as though he were the rightful owner. _*— Manica Post*_

Intensified luggage searches on cross-border buses by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) at the Beitbridge Border Post have resulted in lengthy delays for travellers and cross-border traders. ZIMRA is currently enforcing a US$200 personal rebate limit, with some buses being held for more than eight hours during inspections. Traveller Talent Goronga said the searches were thorough and, at times, distressing for passengers who were not prepared for potential duty payments. _*— ZimLive*_

The decision by Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume to demolish a structure at Mabelreign shopping centre intended for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has come under scrutiny after it emerged that the Harare City Council approved the construction. The latest developments confirm that ward councillor Denford Ngadziore did not act unlawfully or independently, contrary to earlier reports. _*— Pindula*_

The government has outlawed the practice by mining employers of placing workers on consecutive one-month contracts. The move effectively guarantees mineworkers a minimum employment term of 12 months under the newly gazetted labour regulations. _*— Mining Zimbabwe*_

A Bindura-based lawyer, Elatone Bonongwe, has been sentenced to an effective 15 years’ imprisonment after being convicted of masterminding a violent robbery at the Mt Darwin home of Pfura Rural District Council engineer, Emson Chitsungo, in October 2023. High Court judge Justice Pisirayi Kwenda on Monday imposed a 20-year sentence following a full trial, with five years suspended on condition that Bonongwe does not commit a similar offence within the next five years. _*— ZimLive*_

South Africa’s Cabinet has approved sweeping changes to the country’s immigration system, introducing a points-based framework for visas and citizenship that prioritises skilled workers and economic contributors. The new white paper on citizenship, immigration and refugee protection consolidates decades of fragmented legislation into a single piece of law. For the first time, South Africa will assess both work visa applicants and citizenship seekers based on their potential contribution, rather than the length of time they have spent in the country. _*—Agencies*_

South Africa’s Deputy Home Affairs Minister Njabulo Nzuza has said that foreign nationals holding Zimbabwean Exemption Permits (ZEPs) who wish to remain in the country can apply for permanent residency, as the permit was always intended as a temporary arrangement. Speaking on Newzroom Afrika on Monday morning, Nzuza added that ZEP holders should explore other legal pathways if they want to continue staying in South Africa. _*— Agencies*_

More than 3,500 snares have been removed from a single den site of wild dogs in the Hwange National Park as conservationists step up efforts to combat poaching, particularly of endangered species. The wire traps, often set for bushmeat, also pose a serious threat to the African wild dog — one of Africa’s most endangered predators. A new report by Painted Dog Conservation (PDC) highlights a sharp rise in poaching pressure over the past year. _*— Cite*_

A report by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education reveals that 202 schools in Bulawayo are unregistered, including 171 primary and 31 secondary schools. This raises concerns about compliance and education standards, as the province has a total of 252 registered primary and 99 registered secondary schools. The findings highlight issues with the rapid expansion of schools in urban areas, where demand for education exceeds regulatory processes. _*— Chronicle*_

25/03/2026

*Chivayo’s ex-wife demands $25 million payout, 40k monthly maintanence*

HARARE – Wicknell Chivayo’s former partner is demanding a $25 million lump sum payment, $40,000 a month in spousal maintenance and a fleet of luxury vehicles including three Rolls Royces as part of divorce proceedings, court papers reveal.

The shocking financial demands by Sonja Madzikanda were laid bare through an urgent chamber application in which Chivayo, the flamboyant businessman whose mysterious fortune has made him one of Zimbabwe’s most controversial figures, went to court to force access to their two minor children after accusing her of using the children as leverage to extract money from him.

The High Court’s Family Division withheld judgement as Chivayo seeks a provisional order granting him interim access to the children, a boy born in January 2018, and a girl born in March 2019.

Chivayo wants access on alternating weeks inclusive of weekends, half of each school holiday, alternating birthdays and alternating public and Christian holidays.

But the access dispute is only the most recent flashpoint in a far broader and more bruising legal war playing out in the High Court, in which Madzikanda has filed for divorce and laid claim to a substantial slice of Chivayo’s empire.

In previously unreported summons filed in January 2026 through Mahuni Gidiri Law Chambers, Madzikanda argues that the couple entered a valid customary law marriage on or about July 17, 2017, with lobola negotiated and paid.

She says the marriage, though unregistered, is governed by the Marriages Act and can only be dissolved by a competent court – meaning, she argues, that Chivayo’s payment of gupuro, a traditional divorce token, in early 2024 carried no legal weight.

On that basis, she is claiming the Matrimonial Causes Act applies in full, entitling her to an equitable share of assets accumulated during the union.

Her financial claims are extraordinary in scale. She seeks a once-off lump sum maintenance payment of $25 million, monthly spousal maintenance of $40,000 until she remarries, and an annual budget of $1 million for holidays and entertainment covering, her papers say, vacations, recreational activities and cultural experiences integral to the children’s upbringing and her own wellbeing.

She also wants Chivayo to service her motor vehicles twice a year.

She is also claiming sole and exclusive ownership of several immovable properties: a stand in Gletwyn Township, Unit 4 at Rikitayi Villas on Chisolme Road in Ballantyne Park, and a Johannesburg apartment at Davinci Suites in Sandton.

She is also seeking to be awarded seven vehicles from the marital estate – three Rolls Royces (a Spectre, a Ghost and a Phantom), a Range Rover, a V-Class Mercedes-Benz, a Mercedes-Benz Maybach and a Lexus SUV.

For the children’s maintenance, she is seeking full coverage of their educational costs from their current levels through to the completion of tertiary education, all extramural and sporting activities, uncapped Wi-Fi access, international medical insurance, and seasonal clothing allowances.

In her declaration, Madzikanda provides a sprawling inventory of what she alleges are matrimonial assets. Beyond the vehicles and properties she is claiming outright, she lists additional properties at 48 Lanark Road in Avondale, 14 Stonechat Lane in Greystone Park, and the Churchill Avenue property in Alexandra Park that serves as the registered address of Chivayo’s company Intratek ZW.

She also lists business interests in Intratek, WMC Trading, IMC Communications, Trintas Petroleum, and Eldo Pvt Ltd, and a private jet whose precise details, she acknowledges, are not known to her but which she believes is owned, controlled or regularly used by Chivayo.

She further seeks an order piercing the veil of the WMC Family Trust, arguing that assets held within it should be treated as Chivayo’s personal assets, or joint matrimonial assets, for the purposes of calculating the extent of the estate to be divided.

Madzikanda argues that the common estate was built by Chivayo’s commercial industry and her own thrift, and that neither could have succeeded without the other.

Chivayo, represented by Mpofu Mazhata Chambers, has filed a robust plea dismissing the financial claims as legally baseless and, in the bluntest of terms, extortionate.

His lawyers raise multiple preliminary objections, arguing the customary union was never registered within the 12 months required by the Marriages Act, and therefore carries legal validity only for the purposes of the children’s status, guardianship, custody and succession rights, not for spousal maintenance or division of assets.

They further argue that Madzikanda herself terminated the union by paying gupuro, extinguishing any residual entitlements, and that the parties’ estates were never put in community of property and no ante-nuptial contract existed.

The lawyers are contemptuous of the financial claims. Madzikanda, they argue, made no contribution to the acquisition of any of the assets she is now pursuing.

The assets, they say, are entirely the product of Chivayo’s own industry and investment. They describe the maintenance and asset claims as “frivolous and vexatious,” and pray that they be dismissed with costs on the punitive scale of legal practitioner and client “given the irresponsible and extortionist nature of the claim.”

On spousal maintenance specifically, Chivayo’s lawyers are unsparing: he has no obligation to maintain a woman who voluntarily terminated the union. She is an adult, they say, who must support herself from her own resources.

“Defendant is not her meal-ticket for life,” Chivayo’s lawyer Silvester Hash*ti argues in court papers.

On custody, Chivayo concedes that the children should remain primarily with Madzikanda, but only in exchange for a reasonable and court-regulated access regime that is, as his lawyers put it, “not subject to plaintiff’s whims and caprices.”

It is on that access question that matters turned most acutely urgent. In his founding affidavit supporting the chamber application, Chivayo swears that Madzikanda has systematically denied him access to their children on every occasion he has attempted to exercise his parental rights, and that access is only ever granted after she makes what he characterises as extortionate monetary demands.

He identifies the most recent denial as occurring on February 28, 2026. The denial, he says, has extended to blocking telephone contact, withholding school information and preventing him from attending the children’s school and social events.

His certificate of urgency, signed by Brighton Pabwe of Venturas and Samukange Attorneys, argues the children – both under 10 years – are at critical developmental stages that require the active presence of both parents. The ongoing denial, the certificate warns, risks parental alienation, a gradual and potentially irreversible process of emotional estrangement.

“Lost birthdays, milestones and daily interactions are irrecoverable,” Chivayo’s affidavit states. “The prejudice is ongoing and cumulative.”

Chivayo, who is now remarried to Lucy Muteke since March 2025, says no court order lawfully restricts his contact with the children, that he has a clean record with no history of abuse or neglect, and that he remains financially and emotionally committed to their welfare.

He is seeking access on alternating weeks including weekends, half of all school holidays, alternating birthdays, and first right of access on the children’s birthdays and major public holidays.

The matter is pending.

24/03/2026

*Zanu PF MP faces money laundering rap after CDF cash flows to his companies*

HARARE – Tasara Hungwe, the Zanu PF MP for Mberengwa East, is under investigation for allegedly diverting over ZiG1.3 million from a parliamentary Constituency Development Fund (CDF), ......

Parliament disbursed the funds in August last year, and Hungwe is accused of quickly initiating a series of transfers that ultimately saw the money land in the account of a microfinance company, which allegedly paid him out in United States dollars.

The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) was reportedly poised to arrest Hungwe last week, but sources claim a senior Zanu PF official intervened to stop the move.

ZACC declined to respond to questions, while Hungwe denies any wrongdoing.

Sources say the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s Financial Intelligence Unit is assisting in the investigation.

Hungwe, a first-term MP elected in 2023, is a director of two companies – Tatiude (Pvt) Ltd and Matquick Hardware (Pvt) Ltd.

Mberengwa East received ZiG1,341,500 (about US$53,000) under the CDF, paid out on August 14, 2025, according to documents seen by ZimLive.

Soon after, Hungwe transferred ZiG799,641.32 to Tatiude and ZiG440,171.37 to Matquick Hardware, both linked to him.

The companies then moved the funds to Simbaramabwe Construction and Hardware (Pvt) Ltd – ZiG760,000 from Tatiude and ZiG361,000 from Matquick.

Simbaramabwe subsequently channelled the money to Success Microfinance, where the trail goes cold. Investigators believe the firm then paid Hungwe in US dollars.

A source familiar with the probe said there were “strong suspicions of misuse, possible diversion of public funds from their intended purpose, and an obvious conflict of interest potentially amounting to money laundering.”

CDF allocations are meant for constituency projects pre-approved by Parliament and managed by a local committee comprising the area senator, proportional representation MP, selected councillors and traditional leaders. Signatories are drawn from this committee and operate a designated account.

ZACC had not responded to detailed questions at the time of publication, despite earlier indications it would do so. We had specifically asked the anti-graft body to respond to allegations of political interference in its investigations.

Hungwe insisted he could account for the funds but declined to answer questions about the companies involved, identify members of his CDF committee, or specify which projects had been funded.

“Diverting CDF money, me? That is not a true story,” he said in response to written questions which he did not address.

Hungwe is the second Zanu PF MP to be investigated over alleged CDF abuse this year.

In January, Chiredzi West MP Darlington Chiwa was arrested by ZACC for allegedly diverting over ZiG990,000 (about US$50,000 at the April 2025 exchange rate) from the constituency account into his personal accounts.

He is accused of using the funds for personal expenses, including beer, shoes, groceries and building materials, with only a small portion going towards constituency projects.

18/03/2026

*“This has gone too far”: Sadio Mané slams AFCON ruling*

_"This is not the football we are fighting for, not the Africa we believe in. There is too much corruption in our game, and it is killing the passion of millions of fans across the continent"_

HARARE — Senegal icon Sadio Mané has criticized the decision by the Confederation of African Football to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title and award it to Morocco, describing the ruling as damaging to African football.

Senegal had beaten Morocco 1–0 in the January final, but the match was overshadowed when Senegal players walked off the pitch in protest after a late penalty was awarded to Morocco. Head coach Pape Thiaw instructed his players to return to the dressing room, delaying the closing moments of the game for several minutes before play resumed.

CAF’s Appeal Board later ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match when the players left the field.

A statement from CAF said: “The CAF Appeal Board decided that in application of Article 84 of the Regulations of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the Senegal National Team is declared to have forfeited the Final Match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025 (“the Match”), with the result of the Match being recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF).”

The decision overturned the result of the final and awarded Morocco the title.

Reacting on Instagram, Mané expressed anger at the ruling and raised concerns about governance in African football.

“What happened went too far. This is not the football we are fighting for, not the Africa we believe in. There is too much corruption in our game, and it is killing the passion of millions of fans across the continent,” Mané wrote.

“The players give everything on the field, but decisions off of it decide the matches and the trophies. I am deeply disappointed not only for Senegal, but for African football as a whole. We deserve better. The fans deserve fairness, transparency and respect.”

The ruling has sparked widespread debate across African football, with critics questioning whether the result of a completed final should be overturned by administrative decision.

11/03/2026

*Mugabe son abandons bail application*

Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe and his cousin, Tobias Matonhodze, have abandoned their bail application at the Alexandra Magistrates Court in Johannesburg. The two are facing charges of attempted murder and immigration offences.

Their lawyers told the court that they now want to enter into a plea negotiation with the State. Under this process, the pair may agree to plead guilty in exchange for a negotiated sentence.

The plea negotiation is done under Section 105A of the Criminal Procedure Act. It is meant to help speed up cases and reduce the time and costs of a full trial.

For now, both men remain in custody. They are expected to return to court on March 17 for the plea negotiation process.

08/03/2026

*Three drown after vehicle swept away by flooded river; Mugabe’s daughter lands empowerbank deputy chair role*

Three people tragically drowned on Tuesday when the Ford Ranger Wildtrak they were travelling in was swept away while trying to cross the flooded Nyanyange River at a bridge along Mashava–Downlands Road. The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) confirmed the incident, saying the driver managed to swim to safety, but three passengers sadly lost their lives. _*— Pindula*_

A Kwekwe-based self-styled prophet, Simabvu Shiri (37), was arrested on Thursday after he allegedly assaulted his pregnant wife, Trishia Samantha Maphosa (28). She later went into premature labour and gave birth to a baby who died just a few hours later. Shiri is the founder of Spring of Living Waters Church, which is headquartered in Kwekwe. _*— Masvingo Mirror*_

Minister of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training, Tino Machakaire, has appointed a seven-member board for EmpowerBank, with Bona Chikore, daughter of the late former President Robert Mugabe, named as deputy chairperson. The appointments, which carry a four-year term, were announced in Statutory Instrument 132 of 2026 by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Solomon Mhlanga. _*— Herald*_

Harare Mayor, Councillor Jacob Mafume, says he will work with the relevant authorities to impose a total ban on night vending in the Central Business District after some vendors were seen cooking sadza out in the open. A video circulating online shows a man at a busy junction cooking sadza and what looks like relish on two separate gas stoves, creating a serious risk to passing commuters. Commenting on the clip, Mafume warned that serving food in the city centre like this is a major public health hazard, adding that no economic challenge can ever justify such behaviour.*— Agencies*_

Armed robber Daniel Munyanyi, who allegedly shot and killed two police detectives in Zaka last Sunday, has been sentenced to 72 years in jail after being convicted on six counts of armed robbery. Masvingo regional magistrate Innocent Bepura suspended 10 years, meaning Munyanyi, 50, will serve an effective 62 years behind bars. _*— Herald*_

Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora says the government is committed to tackling deaths caused by snake bites and rabies, particularly in border areas and forested regions where the two health threats remain most severe. Responding to concerns raised by legislators in Parliament on Tuesday over rising cases of snake bites and rabies, Mombeshora said efforts to combat both conditions have been incorporated into the country’s national health strategy. _*— Herald*_

A fierce dispute has erupted among lawyers involved in a Constitutional Court challenge seeking to block the extension of President Emmerson Mnangagwa's term, with legal practitioners now locked in a bitter fight over US$450 000 in fees. The case, filed by Matabeleland pressure group Ibhetshu LikaZulu and its leader Mbuso Fuzwayo, has been overshadowed by a financial wrangle between the instructing lawyer, Nqobani Sithole of Sithole Law Chambers, and advocate Method Ndlovu of Apex Legal Group of Advocates. Highly placed legal sources say the dispute escalated this week after Ndlovu abruptly withdrew his legal services, citing a breakdown in trust, reputational concerns and alleged non-payment of fees. _*— Agencies*_

Iran says it is fully prepared for a possible ground invasion by the United States as tensions continue to escalate in the conflict involving Washington, Tel Aviv and Tehran. Speaking to NBC News on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that Tehran is ready to confront American troops if the United States deploys forces on Iranian soil. His remarks came after U.S. President Donald Trump refused earlier this week to rule out the possibility of sending American troops into Iran as the war intensifies. _*— Times*_

The High Court of Zimbabwe has dismissed an attempt by Jabulani Nkomo, son of the late Vice-President John Landa Nkomo, to claim ownership of three vehicles attached in ex*****on of a US$62 975 debt owed by Astra Building Centre (Private) Limited, ruling that the matter had already been decided in an earlier case. In a judgment delivered by Justice Naison Chivayo in Bulawayo, the court dismissed an interpleader application filed by Jabulani Nkomo Family Trust, which had claimed ownership of vehicles attached by the Sheriff of the High Court of Zimbabwe while enforcing a debt owed to Ken Estate Agents. _*— Nehanda Radio*_

London-listed Kavango Resources plc has announced that the seller of its proposed Nara Gold Project acquisition in Zimbabwe has defaulted on agreed completion terms, prompting the company to pursue legal remedies while continuing with its local gold expansion plans. In a notice released on 2 March 2026, Kavango said it had exercised an option on 27 June 2025 to acquire 100 percent of the Nara Gold Project, comprising 45 claims, after entering into a Call Option Agreement with Simon John Bowman dated 23 June 2023. _*— Nehanda Radio*_

Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume admits the council has failed to tackle the city's ongoing water crisis and the environmental issues at Lake Chivero, viewing President Emmerson Mnangagwa's intervention as the only hope. This is part of a court case by Kuimba Shiri (Private) Ltd, which is suing Harare, ZINWA, the Environmental Management Agency, and the Parks Authority over contamination at Lake Chivero that has resulted in the deaths of numerous animals and fish. The case was heard was heard in the High court last week : Business Times

07/03/2026

*Chiwenga says future generations will ‘spit on our graves’ over minerals plunder*

HARARE – Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has warned against the export of unprocessed minerals, declaring that Zimbabwe risks being remembered with contempt by future generations if it fails to industrialise rural communities and retain value from its vast mineral wealth.

Speaking during a familiarisation tour of Sandawana Mine in Mberengwa on Wednesday, Chiwenga backed the cabinet’s decision to immediately ban the export of raw lithium and concentrates accelerating a prohibition originally planned for 2027.

The mine is owned by the Mutapa Investment Fund under its energy minerals portfolio.

Chiwenga said it would be unforgivable for the current generation to squander what he described as Africa’s largest lithium resource without creating wealth that outlives today’s leadership.

“It would be foolish to leave no legacy for future generations,” he said as he stood before a vast open pit. “They will ask about those pits and we will tell them it was a lithium mine.

“They will ask what we benefitted, and if there is nothing to show, it will be a shame on us.”

He warned that history would judge leaders harshly if they allowed the country’s resources to be stripped without value addition.

“If we don’t leave anything for the future generations, they will spit on our graves,” he said. “Let us leave a legacy that will be respected.”

He criticised the country’s past experience with raw lithium exports, saying it brought environmental harm and infrastructural damage without tangible national returns.

“We were exporting lithium ore, our roads were getting destroyed by trucks, pollution and everything but we were getting nothing. When we do mining, we should do value addition for economic growth.”

The vice president said Zimbabwe must urgently shift from being a supplier of raw materials to a hub of mineral processing industries, especially in rural areas where the resources are found.

“We want rural industrialisation and the growth of our nation,” he said. “We want to live to see the day where we will have tall buildings in Mberengwa, modern infrastructure where we once had pastures and mines. We must build cities here in the rurals.”

His comments came as Sandawana Mine announced it is advancing plans for a lithium concentrator plant costing up to US$275 million, expected to process three million tonnes of ore annually with commissioning targeted for December 2027.

Government officials say the accelerated ban on raw lithium exports was triggered by widespread abuse of the window period meant to allow companies to prepare for beneficiation.

On Tuesday mines minister Polite Kambamura announced that some actors had instead rushed to mine and stockpile ore including illicitly transporting it to a neighbouring country for future export.

Information secretary Ndavaningi Mangwana called the conduct “nothing less than the plunder of our national heritage” and “a direct undermining of our sovereignty.”

The cabinet decision shuts the door on the export of unprocessed lithium with immediate effect.

Chiwenga told traditional leaders during the tour that beneficiation was “no longer optional” but the cornerstone of economic transformation.

“We are not the first nor the last,” he said. “There are generations who came before us and left these natural resources. We should do the same and leave wealth for the future generations.”

Chiwenga will also visit other mining projects in Midlands during the next three days on a similar mission.

05/02/2026

*Zimbabwean pastor faces UK jail for s*x offences against young girls*

LIVERPOOL, United Kingdom – A Zimbabwean pastor in an evangelical church in Liverpool, England, has been found guilty of seventeen offences, including s*xual offences, against young girls and women.

Walter Chahwanda, 34, of Plemonstall Court in Chester, was a pastor in the Apostolic Faith Mission before he set up his own church in Liverpool called Sound of Dominion.

Over a period of around four years, he targeted children and young women across the country that he had met through the Apostolic Faith Mission church, sending them intimate s*xual pictures and videos of himself. He also s*xually assaulted one child aged 14.

His method was the same in most of the instances. He would meet the children or young women through church related activities across the country and would then add them to his Snapchat or Instagram accounts and continue talking to them online, normally

But he would start to s*xualise the chat, talking about the appearance of the girls and how he liked them.

Then he would suddenly send them intimate pictures and videos of himself, often performing a s*xual act.

An element of the offending was that he would then goad his victims to reveal what he was doing and tell others in order to “expose him”.

The thought of being caught appeared to be part of his s*xual fantasies.

Chahwanda had a role of authority and trust in the churches and was admired by many. The pictures and videos shocked and confused the victims who had respected Chahwanda.

Several women did tell others about the pictures and the church was also made aware, but he refused to stop. His offending escalated as time went on.

The father of one of the victims reported what had happened to the NSPCC. Several other victims also went to the police and support organisations.

Chawanda was initially arrested in February 2024 and was interviewed again in April 2025 following further enquiries being made by police into additional possible victims.

Under questioning, he denied all of the allegations, although he did admit to having s*xualised conversations on one of his social media sites. He dismissed this as “naughty” and said he was just indulging in role play in the chats.

The Crown Prosecution Service originally authorised Merseyside Police to charge him with 22 counts in relation to nine victims.

He pleaded not guilty to all offences but on February 3, 2026, he was found guilty on 17 counts by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court.

He was found not guilty of one count of r**e, one count of assault by pe*******on and one count of sending a photograph/film of his ge****ls. The CPS offered no evidence on two counts of blackmail and they were not put to the jury.

He will be sentenced on 20 March 2026.

Aaron Smith, a specially trained lawyer with CPS Mersey Cheshire R**e and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) unit, said: “Walter Chahwanda used his position as a respected pastor to abuse a 14-year-old child and cause distress to multiple young women and children. He had no regard for their wellbeing or vulnerability and was solely focused on his own s*xual gratification.

“He told them he was risking everything by his actions, but it was the women and girls who were the ones who felt trapped and disgusted by what he was doing.

“They found it difficult to comprehend that a man in Chahwanda’s position would act in such a manner and, in some instances, felt unable to talk about s*x openly with others.

“Thankfully, eventually, the victims were listened to and Chahwanda was arrested. He continued to deny that what he had been doing was criminal and said the victims had consented. He passed off his offences as harmless.

“His victims explained in statements and evidence the true impact of what he had done and the jury found him guilty.

“The Crown Prosecution Service would like to thank the victims and witnesses in this case for their courage and support in this prosecution. Without their testimony, Walter Chahwanda would not have been brought to justice.”

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