Two men have been sentenced to two years in prison with hard labour in Zambia after being convicted of plotting to kill President Hakainde Hichilema using witchcraft.
The men, a Zambian and a Mozambican national, were found guilty last week under a colonial-era witchcraft law dating back to 1914.
Magistrates ruled that Leonard Phiri, 43, and Jasten Candunde, 42, had intended to use charms, spells, and other supernatural practices to harm the President.
During the trial, the court heard that the pair were in possession of a live chameleon, an animal tail, and 12 bottles of concoctions intended for use in a spell aimed at killing President Hichilema.
Police said the suspects were apprehended last year in a hotel room in the capital, Lusaka, after a cleaner reported hearing unusual noises. Authorities found the chameleon confined in a bottle along with the other ritual items.
Phiri and Candunde pleaded for leniency during sentencing, but the magistrate upheld the two-year prison term with hard labour, citing the seriousness of attempting to harm the head of state.
The colonial-era law under which they were convicted defines witchcraft as pretending to exercise supernatural power, sorcery, or enchantment with the intent to cause fear, annoyance, or injury. The maximum sentence under the law is three years in prison.
The trial also attracted political overtones, with prosecutors alleging that the two men were hired by a brother of a former lawmaker to place a curse on President Hichilema.
While no further details were provided, the case has highlighted the persistence of traditional beliefs in Zambia despite the country’s predominantly Christian population.
A 2018 study by the Zambia Law Development Commission found that 79 percent of Zambians believe in witchcraft, a figure that reflects the deep-rooted role of spiritual practices in society. Such beliefs are also widespread across much of Africa, where folklore, ancestral worship, and traditional healing coexist alongside modern religions.
The case has captured national attention, underscoring both the enduring influence of traditional beliefs and the extreme lengths to which some individuals may go in the country’s political and social landscape.
