Zambian court jails two for using “witchcraft” to target president — a case that cuts across law, belief and politics
A Zambian magistrate has sentenced two men to two years in prison for what prosecutors described as an attempt to use witchcraft to kill President Hakainde Hichilema — a verdict that raises awkward questions about how state institutions confront age‑old beliefs when they intersect with contemporary politics.
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The ruling
Magistrate Fine Mayambu on Tuesday handed down the custodial sentences to Leonard Phiri, a Zambian national, and Jasten Mabulesse Candunde, who is from Mozambique. In court, Mayambu said the pair posed a danger “not only to the president but to all Zambians,” reflecting the gravity with which the judiciary treated the alleged plot.
The prosecution told the court that the two men had been hired by a fugitive former lawmaker — not named in court documents made public — to bewitch the president. Defence counsel sought a fine in lieu of imprisonment, but the magistrate rejected that plea and ordered prison terms. The sentences crystallise a strange collision of criminal law, politics and traditional beliefs.
Belief, law and the limits of modern justice
On the face of it, the case might look surreal to outside audiences: a modern court sentencing people for using supernatural means. Yet belief in witchcraft, spirits and traditional medicines is deeply woven into social life across much of sub‑Saharan Africa, including in Zambia. For many, traditional healers are as much a part of the health and moral economy as clinics and mosques.
That cultural reality poses thorny problems for modern legal systems. A state must protect citizens from real-world harms — conspiracies, intimidation, paid assassins — while not giving legal credence to metaphysical claims. Prosecutors in this case anchored their argument on intent and danger: regardless of whether any “witchcraft” has physical effect, a conspiracy to harm or coerce a head of state is a criminal matter.
“The question for judges is not whether the supernatural works,” said a senior legal analyst who requested anonymity to speak freely about the politically charged case. “It’s whether people acted with intent to cause harm and whether their actions produced a risk to public safety. Courts must treat the facts on the ground, including local beliefs, without endorsing superstition.”
Politics, scapegoats and regional echoes
The prosecution’s allegation that the suspects were hired by a fugitive former MP underscores the political undertow. Since sweeping to office in 2021, Hakainde Hichilema has been a polarising figure: hailed by foreign investors for market-friendly reforms and by critics accused of heavy-handedness. In many parts of the continent, claims of “witchcraft” have long been entangled with political rivalry — either as genuine local disputes that spill into national life, or as a rhetorical device to tarnish opponents.
That one of the convicted men is Mozambican adds a regional dimension. Cross-border movements of people and ideas have long shaped southern Africa: traditional healers, spiritual networks and criminal enterprises move with porous borders. Security officials now face the task of policing not only physical threats but also the transnational networks through which such threats are theorised and financed.
Public reaction and the human side
In Lusaka markets and township tea stalls, reactions ranged from disbelief to grim acceptance. “People here consult traditional healers when someone is sick or unlucky,” said a woman selling vegetables in the capital. “But to use those beliefs against someone else, even the president — that is wrong.”
For the families involved, the case is a private tragedy turned public spectacle. Courtrooms can be unsparing places, and when cultural practices are criminalised or sensationalised the fallout can ripple through communities that rely on traditional systems for social welfare and conflict resolution.
Broader implications
- Rule of law vs cultural pluralism: The case spotlights how states must enforce law while respecting cultural practices, a balance that is delicate and context-dependent.
- Political weaponisation: Allegations of witchcraft can be used to delegitimise opponents or to mask more conventional crimes such as bribery, extortion or assassination plots.
- Cross-border policing: The involvement of a Mozambican highlights the need for regional cooperation on matters that straddle criminal, cultural and security dimensions.
What to watch next
Observers will be watching for appeals, further investigations and any steps by authorities to name and pursue the alleged mastermind — the fugitive former MP. How prosecutors frame future cases that touch on supernatural beliefs will also be telling: will courts continue to emphasise tangible criminal intent, or will they drift toward treating metaphysical claims as evidentiary matters?
Beyond the courtroom, the episode invites a deeper public conversation. How should modern states engage with traditional beliefs that persist alongside formal institutions? Can legal systems distinguish between symbolic practices and genuine threats without alienating large swathes of the population? And finally, what does it say about contemporary politics when age‑old fears and superstitions become entangled with high‑stakes rivalry?
The answers will affect not only Zambia but many societies where modern governance and traditional cosmologies coexist. As courts, politicians and citizens navigate those crossroads, the fundamental challenge will be to protect public safety while preserving cultural dignity — a task that requires nuance, restraint and public dialogue.
By News-room
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
