Two men convicted in witchcraft plot against President Hichilema

In a case that has gripped public imagination and highlighted the clash between tradition and modern law, Mozambican national, Jasten Mabulesse Candude and Zambian Leonard Phiri, were on Friday found guilty of conspiring to harm President Hakainde Hichilema through the use of witchcraft.

The two men were accused of being hired by former Petauke Member of Parliament, Emmanuel Jay Banda to carry out the plot.

The High Court verdict, delivered after months of testimony and forensic review of video evidence, hinged not on whether the supernatural exists but on whether the accused represented themselves as possessing and intending to use supernatural powers to cause fear, injury or death — an offence under Zambia’s Witchcraft Act.

In careful, clinical language, Lusaka Magistrate Fine Mayambu explained that the law did not require proof that charms or spells actually work; it requires only proof that the accused pretended to possess and intended to exercise such powers in a way that would cause alarm or harm.

Prosecutors presented evidence including charms, ritual items, and testimony about a live chameleon allegedly used in the creation of a charm.

Video footage also captured one of the accused demonstrating how the charms were to be used, while other recordings documented statements about the plan and the payments involved.

The court heard that the accused were reportedly brought to Lusaka, accommodated in lodges, and promised large sums of money. Phiri testified that he had been offered K13,500,000 to assist.

Witnesses described how the accused demonstrated methods by which the charms would be deployed — acts the prosecution argued were intended to instil fear and cause physical harm.

The defence denied any intent to harm, claiming the rituals were medicinal or protective.

But the trial court found the totality of the evidence — including witness statements, video recordings, and physical exhibits — sufficient to prove the elements of the offence: representation of supernatural powers and intent to exercise them in a way that could cause fear or injury.

The judgment acknowledged the difficulty witchcraft cases present, noting that supernatural claims cannot be tested scientifically, but stressing that the law was concerned with the social harm such claims provoke.

Candude and Phiri were found guilty under the Witchcraft Act, which carries a penalty of up to 1,500 penalty units or two years’ imprisonment.

Sentencing has been reserved for a later date.

In mitigation, the two pleaded for leniency, noting that President Hakainde Hichilema himself had publicly stated he did not believe in witchcraft.

WARNING! All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express permission from ZAMBIA MONITOR.