A Zambian court on Monday sentenced two men, a Zambian citizen and a Mozambican national, to two years in prison with hard labor for attempting to assassinate President Hakainde Hichilema using witchcraft. The case, which has sparked heated debate in the country, highlights the persistence of traditional beliefs in Africa and their clash with the law inherited from the colonial era.

The trial of two men accused of planning to commit acts of witchcraft against Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema came to an end on Monday with the conviction of the two suspects.

A conviction under a colonial law

Leonard Phiri, 43, and Jasten Candunde, 42, were convicted under Zambia's Witchcraft Act, passed in 1914 during British rule. The legislation defines witchcraft as any pretense of exercising supernatural power with the intent to cause fear, discomfort, or injury. The maximum penalty is three years' imprisonment.

According to the court, the two men were arrested at a Lusaka hotel last year after a maintenance worker alerted police after hearing suspicious noises. They were in possession of various ritual objects, including a live chameleon in a bottle, an animal tail, and a dozen potions. The magistrate ruled that these artifacts were intended to be used to cast a deadly spell on President Hichilema.

Despite the defendants' pleas for clemency, the judge handed down a two-year prison sentence with hard labor.

Between justice, politics and beliefs

The case is not only judicial. It is also tinged with political intrigue. Prosecutors have argued that the two convicts acted at the request of the brother of a former member of parliament, who allegedly entrusted them with the task of "cursing" the head of state. This suspicion gives the case the dimension of score-settling, or even of a political conspiracy using traditional beliefs as a tool.

The conviction comes as Hakainde Hichilema, in power since 2021, strives to establish his authority and modernize Zambia's institutions. But this case serves as a reminder of the extent to which the country's cultural and religious foundations remain marked by ancestral practices.

The persistence of witchcraft in Zambian society

Officially Christian, Zambia is not immune to beliefs in witchcraft, which are prevalent in both rural and urban areas. A 2018 survey by the Zambian Law Development Commission revealed that 79% of Zambians believed in the existence of occult practices.

This persistence is explained by the coexistence between the Christian religion and African spiritual traditions. In many cases, witchcraft is seen as an explanation for individual or collective misfortunes, whether illness, economic failure, or political conflict.

A broader African problem

Zambia is not an isolated case. In several sub-Saharan African countries—from Cameroon to Ghana, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo—witchcraft-related trials continue to fill the courts. In some contexts, these beliefs give rise to communal violence or accusations used to settle family, social, or political disputes.

By sentencing Leonard Phiri and Jasten Candunde, the Zambian justice system sought to send a signal: traditional practices cannot justify threats to public order and institutions. But this case also highlights the dilemma of the modern African state, caught between the need to respect popular beliefs and the need to protect political authority through a legal framework often inherited from colonization.