Zambia convicts two men for attempting to use witchcraft against President Hichilema

Lusaka. – A Zambian court on Monday sentenced two men to two and a half years in prison for attempting to assassinate President Hakainde Hichilema through witchcraft practices. The sentenced are Jasten Mabulesse Candunde, a Mozambican citizen, and local chief Leonard Phiri, who were found guilty of possessing amulets and performing rituals allegedly intended to end the life of the president. Both had been arrested in December 2024 in a joint operation by the Immigration Office and the Anti-Terrorism Unit, amid an alleged plot that generated great controversy in the country. The opposition Patriotic Front (PF), led by former President Edgar Lungu, described the case as a persecution with political motivations.

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The police assured that the accused acted on behalf of Nelson Banda, brother of parliamentarian Emmanuel “Jay Jay” Banda, who also faced charges in Zimbabwe for theft during that same period, although he denied the accusations. Hichilema, who came to power in 2021 after defeating Lungu in the presidential elections, achieved victory in his fifth attempt, capitalizing on the political and economic wear and tear of the previous government, marked by the crisis and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.