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Two men have been arrested in Zambia who are accused of being “doctors” who were given the job of casting spells on the country’s leader.
The police have arrested Jasten Mabulesse Candunde and Leonard Phiri in Lusaka.
“Their intention was to use charms to harm” President Hakainde Hichilema, said the police statement, which was released on Friday.
Many people in the southern African country believe in—and fear—witchcraft.
The police said Candunde and Phiri were hired by Nelson Banda, the younger brother of MP Emmanuel “Jay Jay” Banda.
The MP was arrested last month on charges of theft, which he denies. He is also accused of escaping from prison in August while awaiting a court appearance.
The opposition Patriotic Front (PF) led by former president Edgar Lungu has already said that the charges are political.
Emmanuel Banda, who became an independent candidate from 2021, joined Lungu, who lost the leadership of Hichilema that year.
In their statement, the police said that the younger brother of the MP, Nelson, “is currently on the run”.
Mr. Candunde and Mr. Phiri have been charged with “possessing charms” under Zambia’s Witchcraft Act, “claiming knowledge of witchcraft” and “cruelty to wild animals”.
The couple was found with “various charms”, including a live tiger, police added.
They told police they had been promised more than 2m Zambian kwacha (£58,000; $73,000) for their “work”, according to a police affidavit.
The suspects are in custody and will appear in court “soon”, the police said, but did not say the exact date the case will be heard. He has yet to publicly respond to this.
