By Tawanda Musariri

Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) founder and leader, Walter Magaya has made a major climb down following sensational claims he made to his tens of thousands followers on Sunday that he had found cure for Aids and cancer.

Magaya made a public apology during a press conference organised by the minister of Health and Childcare, Dr Obadiah Moyo today. Over and above the apology, he assured the public and the minister that he will not go ahead and put his new herbal medicine on the market until clinical tests were conducted by the relevant regulator proving the safety and curing potential of his medicine which has been branded Aguma.

In a joint press statement to the media with Magaya, honourable Dr Moyo said, "I have called a meeting with the Prophet, the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe, the National Institute of Health Research and the Secretary for Health. We were very open to each other with Prophet Magaya and at the end of the day he apologised as he has just said here that he had gone a bit too fast and not realising his popularity and the impact of his message to the general population of Zimbabwe."

"In this particular exercise, because of his popularity and the coverage that he got from the media, his message came out and it set some distortions in the system that we have in terms of medicines control in Zimbabwe. However, he now appreciates that there are regulations to be followed, which is very good. Because of that, we want to continue emphasizing to the population that whatever Anti Retro Virals that you were on, please carry on taking them," advised Dr Moyo.

"Prophet Magaya's medications are not yet approved, whatever tests were done in India that was in India and not in Zimbabwe" emphasized Dr Moyo.

Magaya admitted that he had jumped the gun out of excitement. He said he was ready to cooperate with the ministry to carry out scientific tests to satisfy all concerned stakeholders, including potential waiting customers of the curability of Aguma. He agreed to fund the tests.

"I carry a very important apology to the ministry; to the public at large and all organisations. After discovering what I discovered which was tested in India,  holding a report which was overwhelming to myself, I went on and announced what I was carrying in my hands without taking note of the authorities of Zimbabwe. According to what I have learnt, the authorities of Zimbabwe and the regulators were supposed to scrutinize and analyse and be satisfied of what I was holding before I prematurely announced.

“The apology that I carry is that we rushed and announced  what we were carrying without the authorities analysing it. I want to appreciate the way the ministry has handled me, which handled me as a child and I appreciate what the other boards are saying that I must retract, which is what I am doing right now. I never said that people must stop taking ARVs," said Magaya. 

Magaya's sensational claims sent the medical industry and social media into overdrive with authorities thrashing the prophet for displaying ignorance over medicines certification laws. Others simply dismissed him as an attention seeking and fortune hunter seeking to make quick money from people desperate for a cure to the incurable disease.

Since the arrival of AIDS about half a century ago, the medical industry has found the cure to be very elusive as the Human Immune Virus which causes AIDS hides itself in blood cells. Those afflicted by AIDS have the burden of downing ARV tablets for life, drugs that come with bodily distortions, especially in women, sadly on physical body parts that matter to women's beauty.

Also making part of Magaya's claims were that he had found a cure for cancer, another disease that has cooperated so well with AIDS in human mortality and evading cure. Given the coincidence of his double find, those basing their argument on the laws of probability dismissed the prophet's claims with undisguised contempt.

Magaya's tele-evangelism channel, Yahah TV, attended the heavily attended presser.