A court in Zambia has sentenced two men, Leonard Phiri and Mozambican national Jasten Mabulesse Candunde, to two years in prison for attempting to use witchcraft to harm President Hakainde Hichilema.
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The pair were arrested in December after being found with charms, including a live chameleon, which investigators said they intended to use in a ritual. They admitted owning the charms, and during trial Phiri demonstrated how the animal’s tail was meant to be used in the act.
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Prosecutors told the court that the men were allegedly contracted by a fugitive former lawmaker to carry out the plot. Both defendants claimed to be traditional healers, but the court ruled that their actions fell under criminal provisions of the Witchcraft Act.
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The court also handed them an additional six-month sentence for possession of charms, to run concurrently with the two-year jail term. Their lawyer appealed for a lighter sentence, citing their status as first-time offenders, but the magistrate declined the request.
The Witchcraft Act, which has been in force since 1914, is rarely applied but remains part of Zambian law to curb acts that could cause fear or public harm. President Hichilema has not reacted publicly to the case and is known to dismiss beliefs in witchcraft.
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