A Zambian court has jailed two men for two years with hard labour after they were convicted of planning to use witchcraft to kill President Hakainde Hichilema.
Mozambican Jasten Mabulesse Candunde and Leonard Phiri, a local village chief, were on Monday found guilty of “professing witchcraft” by magistrate Fine Mayambu after a lengthy trial.
The duo was arrested in December 2024 after authorities said they were found to be in possession of a live chameleon, a red cloth, an unknown white powder and an animal’s tail. They were caught in a hotel room after a cleaner reported hearing strange noises.
Prosecutors said Mr Phiri and Mr Candunde were hired by a brother of opposition MP Emmanuel ‘Jay Jay’ Banda, who is facing trial for robbery, attempted murder and escaping custody.
“It is my considered view that the convicts were not only the enemy of the head of state, but were enemies of all Zambians,” Mr Mayambu said in his ruling.
“The two accepted ownership of the charms. (Mr) Phiri further demonstrated that the chameleon’s tail, once pricked and used in the ritual, would cause death to occur within five days.
“The question is not whether the accused are wizards or actually possess supernatural powers. It is whether they represented themselves as such, and the evidence clearly shows they did.”
The two were sentenced to another six months in prison for possessing charms, but the magistrate said the sentences will run concurrently. This means that they will only serve two years in jail effective from the date of their arrest.
Mr Phiri and Mr Candunde had pleaded for leniency and asked the court to fine them instead of a custodial sentence, but their request was rejected.
President Hichilema, who came into power in 2021, is a known to be devout member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church and has previously said he does not believe in witchcraft. He has not publicly commented on this specific case.
Witchcraft is a crime in a number of former British colonies such as Zambia and Zimbabwe. In Zambia, legal experts said the law that was passed in 1914 was rarely used, but most people in the country believed in witchcraft.
According to the law, practicing witchcraft includes pretending to exercise any kind of supernatural power, sorcery or enchantment intended to cause fear, annoyance or injury. A person convicted of violating the law can be sentenced to up to three years in prison.
President Hichilema, who will be seeking a second term next year, is accused of using the courts to target his opponents.
The witchcraft case was closely followed in Zambia as some were drawing parallels with the ongoing dispute between the government and the family of the late President Edgar Lungu over his funeral.
The former president died in South Africa in June and is yet to be buried because of the failure to reach an agreement over the repatriation of his body. His family is insisting on burying him in South Africa, which they say is according to his wishes.
Some commentators claim the government is insisting on buying the former president in Zambia for “occult reasons.” President Hichilema and his predecessor had a frosty relationship.
