'Witchdoctors' arrested for trying to harm Zambia president using a chameleon

Two men accused of trying to "bewitch" the president of Zambia have been arrested. The police said they had in their custody the "witchdoctors" who had been assigned the work "to use charms to harm" President Hakainde Hichilema. Jasten Mabulesse Candunde and Leonard Phiri were held in the capital, Lusaka.

Witchcraft is prevalent in the southern African country and people often fear the worst owing to it. Police said that Nelson Banda, the younger brother of MP Emmanuel "Jay Jay" Banda hired Candunde and Phiri.

Banda was reportedly arrested last month in Zimbabwe over robbery charges. He has claimed innocence in the matter and has not been seen in public since then. Earlier in August, while waiting for a court appearance, he is said to have escaped from custody. Emmanuel Banda has been an independent MP since 2021 and was previously associated with former President Edgar Lungu.

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Lungu leads the opposition Patriotic Front (PF) party that previously alleged that the charges against Banda are politically motivated. Notably, Lungu lost the presidency to Hichilema that year.

The police said Candunde and Phiri were found in possession of "assorted charms", including a live chameleon. They have been charged under Zambia's Witchcraft Act with "possession of charms", "professing knowledge of witchcraft" and "cruelty to wild animals".

An official statement by the police states that the two had been promised more than two million Zambian kwacha ($73,000) to complete the "mission".

The two men are currently in police custody and will be presented in court soon, the police said. No official date has yet been issued for the same.