Two men were arrested for “witchcraft” in Zambia where they are suspected of having wanted to “use spells to harm the head of state” Hakainde Hichilema, the police of this southern African country announced on Friday.
“The suspects were found in possession of various amulets, including a live chameleon, and are suspected of being witches,” police spokesperson Rae Hamoonga said in a statement.
“Their supposed mission was to use spells to harm the head of state,” he added.
The two men, a Mozambican and a Zambian, were arrested for “alleged mastery of witchcraft” and “possession of amulets” in contravention of Zambia's witchcraft law, as well as for acts of “cruelty towards wild animals.” . They must “appear in court soon” according to police.
This, after a “preliminary investigation”, affirms that the suspects were hired by a brother of Emmanuel Jay Banda, an opposition deputy prosecuted for “aggravated robbery”, “attempted murder” and “escape”, by the Zambian authorities.
Opposition member Fred M'membe, leader of the small Socialist Party, was arrested in August for “seditious practices” after the publication of an article. This reported supposed remarks by the President of the DRC saying that he had paid the Zambian authorities millions of dollars to stifle criticism.
At the same time, a journalist, Thomas Zgambo, who runs the Zambian online site Whistleblower, was arrested on similar charges. He had claimed in an article that a government administration was renting offices in a building belonging to Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema.
Long-time opponent, Hakainde Hichilema was elected president of Zambia in his sixth attempt in August 2021, winning against outgoing President Edgar Lungu.
