A court in Zambia has sentenced two men to two years in prison for attempting to use witchcraft to kill President Hakainde Hichilema. Zambian Leonard Phiri and Mozambican Jasten Mabulesse Candunde were convicted under the Witchcraft Act after being arrested in December with charms in their possession, including a live chameleon.
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, magistrate Fine Mayambu said in his ruling. This case has garnered significant attention, as it marks the first conviction for plotting witchcraft against a president in Zambia.
The prosecution alleged that Phiri and Candunde were hired by a fugitive former MP to bewitch Hichilema. Despite claiming to be traditional healers, the evidence presented led to their conviction on two counts under the Witchcraft Act.
The two accepted ownership of the charms. Phiri demonstrated that the chameleon's tail, when pricked and used in a ritual, would cause death to occur within five days, Magistrate Mayambu stated.
The lawyer for the two men requested leniency during sentencing, arguing they were first-time offenders, but the court rejected this plea. The magistrate noted that many in Zambia believe in witchcraft, despite scientific disagreement, and affirmed that the law exists to protect society from those claiming supernatural abilities.
In addition to their two-year sentence for 'professing' witchcraft, the men received an additional six months for possessing charms, though the sentences will run concurrently. They have begun serving their time effective from their arrest in December 2024. President Hichilema has publicly stated his disbelief in witchcraft but has yet to comment on this particular case.
The Witchcraft Act, enacted during colonial rule in 1914, has rarely seen prosecutions, as its primary function is to safeguard individuals, particularly vulnerable elderly women, from mob justice linked to witchcraft accusations. This case illustrates a broader conversation surrounding witchcraft in Zambia, amidst ongoing tensions regarding the late President Edgar Lungu's burial dispute.
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, magistrate Fine Mayambu said in his ruling. This case has garnered significant attention, as it marks the first conviction for plotting witchcraft against a president in Zambia.
The prosecution alleged that Phiri and Candunde were hired by a fugitive former MP to bewitch Hichilema. Despite claiming to be traditional healers, the evidence presented led to their conviction on two counts under the Witchcraft Act.
The two accepted ownership of the charms. Phiri demonstrated that the chameleon's tail, when pricked and used in a ritual, would cause death to occur within five days, Magistrate Mayambu stated.
The lawyer for the two men requested leniency during sentencing, arguing they were first-time offenders, but the court rejected this plea. The magistrate noted that many in Zambia believe in witchcraft, despite scientific disagreement, and affirmed that the law exists to protect society from those claiming supernatural abilities.
In addition to their two-year sentence for 'professing' witchcraft, the men received an additional six months for possessing charms, though the sentences will run concurrently. They have begun serving their time effective from their arrest in December 2024. President Hichilema has publicly stated his disbelief in witchcraft but has yet to comment on this particular case.
The Witchcraft Act, enacted during colonial rule in 1914, has rarely seen prosecutions, as its primary function is to safeguard individuals, particularly vulnerable elderly women, from mob justice linked to witchcraft accusations. This case illustrates a broader conversation surrounding witchcraft in Zambia, amidst ongoing tensions regarding the late President Edgar Lungu's burial dispute.
