In a case that has gripped Zambia, a court has sentenced two men to two years in prison for attempting to use witchcraft to kill President Hakainde Hichilema. The verdict shines a light on the complex interplay between traditional beliefs and the country’s legal system.
The two men, Leonard Phiri from Zambia and Jasten Mabulesse Candunde from Mozambique, were arrested in December with a collection of charms, including a live chameleon. They were found guilty under the Witchcraft Act, a law originally passed during colonial rule in 1914.
During the trial, the prosecution alleged that Phiri and Candunde had been hired by a former Member of Parliament to “bewitch” the president. Although the two men claimed to be traditional healers, the court was swayed by their own testimony. According to Magistrate Fine Mayambu, Phiri demonstrated how the chameleon’s tail, when pricked in a ritual, would cause a person to die within five days.
“It is my considered view that the convicts were not only the enemy of the head of state but were also enemies of all Zambians,” the magistrate stated in his ruling.
This is the first time anyone has been put on trial for attempting to use witchcraft against a president, and the case has been closely followed. The men’s lawyer, Agrippa Malando, pleaded for leniency, requesting the court to issue a fine instead of a prison sentence, but the plea was rejected.
Read: Biography of President of Zambia – Hakainde Hichilema
Magistrate Mayambu’s ruling made it clear that the conviction was less about the existence of supernatural powers and more about the actions of the accused. He noted that while witchcraft isn’t scientifically proven, many people in Zambia and other African countries believe in it. The law, he explained, is designed to protect society from the fear and harm caused by those who claim to have such power.
For “professing” witchcraft, the men received a two-year sentence. They were also given six months for possessing charms. The sentences will run concurrently, meaning they will serve a total of two years, effective from their arrest in December.
The Witchcraft Act, while rarely used, has historically served to protect vulnerable individuals, particularly older women who have faced mob justice after being accused of witchcraft. The issue of traditional beliefs has also featured in another high-profile case: the ongoing dispute over the burial of late President Edgar Lungu, whose body remains in a morgue in South Africa. Some have speculated that the government’s stance on the burial location is for “occult reasons,” an accusation the government has denied.
President Hichilema has not commented on the case and has previously stated he does not believe in witchcraft.