A Zambian court has sentenced two men to two years in prison for attempting to use witchcraft to kill President Hakainde Hichilema, in what legal experts say is the first case of its kind against a sitting head of state (BBC).
Leonard Phiri, a Zambian national, and Jasten Mabulesse Candunde from Mozambique were arrested in December 2024 with charms in their possession, including a live chameleon (Face2Face Africa).
Prosecutors told the court the men had been hired by a fugitive former MP to carry out the plot.
Magistrate Fine Mayambu described the pair as ‘enemies of all Zambians’ and found them guilty on two counts under the Witchcraft Act. The court heard that Phiri demonstrated how the chameleon’s tail, once pricked and used in a ritual, could allegedly cause death within five days (BBC).
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They claimed they were traditional healers, but the court rejected this defence.
The request for a fine instead of prison time was denied.
Police alleged the suspects were promised a reward of $73 000 (R1.2m) if the ritual succeeded. The opposition Patriotic Front party dismissed this as politically motivated.
Magistrate Mayambu noted that belief in witchcraft remains widespread in Zambia and other African countries.
In addition to the two-year sentence for ‘professing’ witchcraft, the men received six months for possessing charms. The sentences will run concurrently, meaning they will serve two years from the date of their arrest.
President Hichilema stated he does not believe in witchcraft and has not commented on the case.
Lawyer Dickson Jere told the BBC the Witchcraft Act, passed in 1914, is rarely used but has helped protect vulnerable people.
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