Two men have been sentenced to two years in prison in Zambia after being convicted of attempting to use witchcraft to kill President Hakainde Hichilema.
The convicts, Zambian national Leonard Phiri and Mozambican Jasten Mabulesse Candunde, were arrested in December with charms in their possession — including a live chameleon — and charged under the country’s Witchcraft Act.
According to prosecutors, the duo had been hired by a fugitive former MP to bewitch the Head of State. The case drew huge public attention as it marked the first time individuals were put on trial for trying to use witchcraft against a sitting president.
Magistrate Fine Mayambu, while delivering judgment, said:
“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.”
Despite their claims of being traditional healers, the court found them guilty on two counts under the Witchcraft Act. Evidence presented showed that Phiri demonstrated how a chameleon’s tail, once pricked and used in a ritual, could allegedly cause death within five days.
Their lawyer, Agrippa Malando, pleaded for leniency and asked the court to impose a fine, but the magistrate rejected the request. Instead, the two were sentenced to two years in prison for professing witchcraft and an additional six months for possessing charms. However, since the sentences will run concurrently, they will serve two years effective from their arrest date in December 2024.
Magistrate Mayambu emphasized that while witchcraft is not scientifically proven, many in Zambia still believe in its power, and the law exists to protect citizens from fear and potential harm.
“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,” he said.
President Hichilema has previously stated that he does not believe in witchcraft and has yet to comment on the ruling.
The Witchcraft Act, enacted during colonial rule in 1914, is rarely enforced. Legal experts say it was mainly designed to protect vulnerable groups — such as elderly women — from mob justice in cases where they were accused of causing death through sorcery.
The case also comes amid ongoing debates about witchcraft in Zambia, particularly in relation to the late President Edgar Lungu’s funeral. Some speculate that disputes over his burial location involve “occult reasons,” though the government has firmly denied such claims.
