Witchcraft Used in Attempted Murder of Zambia President

A courtroom in Zambia delivered a stunning verdict last week: two men are heading to prison after plotting to assassinate the country’s president using witchcraft.

Leonard Phiri, 43, and Jasten Candunde, 42, were each sentenced to two years behind bars after being found guilty under Zambia’s little-known colonial-era Witchcraft Act, which dates back to 1914.

Authorities say the men attempted to cast a deadly spell on President Hakainde Hichilema. When arrested in a Lusaka hotel, investigators discovered an eerie collection of charms — including a live chameleon, an animal tail, and more than a dozen bottles filled with mysterious concoctions.

“This was no ordinary crime. These men intended to harm the president using methods rooted in sorcery,” a government prosecutor told reporters outside the courtroom. “It was a plot unlike anything Zambia has seen in modern times.”

The Witchcraft Act, still in force more than a century after it was passed, defines witchcraft as using supernatural power, sorcery, or enchantment to instill fear or cause injury. Cases are rare, but the law has long been criticized by rights groups for its broad scope.

Yet in this case, prosecutors argued the act was clear-cut. “When you bring a live chameleon and bottles of potions into a hotel room to cast spells, the law speaks for itself,” one official said.

Investigators also hinted at a darker political angle. Officials alleged the brother of a former lawmaker had hired Phiri and Candunde to carry out the ritual attack.

The two men pleaded for leniency, claiming they were misled and desperate for money. But the judge was unmoved, telling the defendants: “The nation cannot allow plots of this nature to threaten its stability.”

The case has transfixed Zambia, not only because it targeted a sitting president but also because it marks the first time an assassination attempt involving witchcraft has made its way into court.

Locals in Lusaka described the trial as surreal. “We are used to political scandals, but witchcraft against the president? That is something out of a movie,” said John Mwansa, a taxi driver who followed the case closely.

President Hichilema, who took office in 2021 after defeating longtime leader Edgar Lungu, has not commented publicly on the bizarre assassination attempt. His office, however, issued a brief statement thanking law enforcement for “protecting the dignity of the presidency and the safety of the nation.”

For now, Phiri and Candunde will serve their sentences as Zambians debate whether witchcraft belongs in a modern courtroom — or whether this chilling case proves the law’s relevance even today.