Legislation in Zambia criminalizes pretending to use supernatural powers to cause harm or fear
A Zambian court has sentenced two men to two years in prison with hard labor for allegedly attempting to use witchcraft to kill the country’s president, Hakainde Hichilema.
On Monday, magistrate Fine Mayambu convicted 43-year-old Leonard Phiri of Sinda and 42-year-old Mozambican national Jasten Mabulesse Candunde under the Witchcraft Act. The pair were arrested in December 2024 with charms, 12 bottles of concoctions and a live chameleon, which were allegedly to be used in a ritual meant to cause the president’s death.
“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,” the magistrate said, as quoted by BBC.
Defense lawyer Agrippa Malando sought leniency and asked the court to impose a fine, but the request was denied. The two-year term will run from the date of arrest. They also received a concurrent six-month sentence for possession of charms.
In December, police said the arrested men were hired by Nelson Banda, brother of fugitive lawmaker Emmanuel “Jay Jay” Banda. The suspects allegedly confessed they were promised $7,400 for the job. Emmanuel Banda, an independent MP for Petauke Central since 2021 and former ally of ex-President Edgar Lungu, escaped police custody while facing aggravated robbery charges.
President Hichilema, who has previously said he does not believe in witchcraft, has not commented on the case.
Zambia’s Witchcraft Act, in force since 1914, criminalizes pretending to use supernatural powers to cause harm or fear. It carries a maximum penalty of three years.
In Tanzania, the High Court sentenced John Severini Chale in 2022 for “exercising witchcraft” under the Witchcraft Act, sentencing him to five years in prison.
