Zambian Court Jails Two Men Over Witchcraft Assassination Attempt On President Hichilema

A Zambian court has handed two men two-year prison sentences for attempting to use witchcraft to assassinate President Hakainde Hichilema.

Leonard Phiri of Zambia and Jasten Mabulesse Candunde of Mozambique were found guilty under the Witchcraft Act after their December arrest, when authorities discovered charms in their possession, including a live chameleon.

Magistrate Fine Mayambu delivered the ruling. He said the convicts were not only the enemy of the head of state but were also enemies of all Zambians.

The case drew significant attention in Zambia, marking the first trial for an alleged attempt to use witchcraft against a sitting president.

Prosecutors claimed that Phiri and Candunde had been hired by a fugitive former MP to cast spells on President Hichilema.

Although the men maintained that they were legitimate traditional healers, the court convicted them on two counts under the Witchcraft Act.  Magistrate Mayambu said:

“The two accepted ownership of the charms. Phiri further demonstrated that the chameleon’s tail, once pricked and used in the ritual, would cause death to occur within five days.”

The two men’s lawyer, Agrippa Malando, said they asked the court for leniency since it was their first offence and suggested a fine instead of jail time, but the request was denied.

Magistrate Mayambu pointed out that many people in Zambia, like elsewhere in Africa, believe in witchcraft even though it isn’t scientifically proven.

He added that the law exists to protect society from the fear and harm caused by those claiming to have such powers. Magistrate Mayambu said:

“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 men also got six months in prison for possessing charms, but because the sentences run at the same time, they’ll only serve the two-year term, starting from their arrest in December 2024.

Lawyer Dickson Jere told the BBC that the Witchcraft Act dates back to colonial rule in 1914. He explained that while prosecutions under the law are rare, it was meant to protect elderly women in villages from mob justice after being accused of causing someone’s death through witchcraft.

More: BBC