A court has ordered a trial within a trial to determine whether a Mozambican national voluntarily confessed to being hired to use witchcraft against Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema.
The case involves Jasten Mabulesse Candude from Mozambique and his co-accused, Leonard Phiri, from Zambia’s Sinda District.
The two men face charges under Zambia’s Witchcraft Act, accused of professing knowledge of witchcraft and possessing charms. Prosecutors allege the offenses took place between November 22 and 23, 2024.
During a hearing before Resident Magistrate Fines Mayambu on Wednesday, the prosecution introduced testimony from Detective Chief Inspector Teddy Bumelo, who stated that Candude admitted during a police interview that he was hired to bewitch someone named “Hichilema.”
However, defense lawyer Agrippa Malando objected, arguing that his client never made such a confession.
This led the court to order a trial within a trial, a legal process to determine whether a confession was made voluntarily.
“The witness before you is an officer, and everything he is putting across amounts to a confession. We are here because my client denied confessing,” Malando argued.
Despite the state’s readiness to proceed, the defense requested more time to prepare, prompting the court to adjourn the matter to Thursday.
In a separate testimony, Boniface Changwe, a program officer from the Traditional Health Practitioners Association of Zambia (TAPAZ), distanced the organization from the accused men. He explained that registered traditional healers must obtain official documents, permits, and membership cards, none of which the accused possessed. “We examined the documents presented by the police and found that they lacked proper signatures, watermarks, and the official format issued by TAPAZ,” Changwe told the court.
Changwe was also shown alleged witchcraft tools, including bottles of powder, roots, animal tails, snail shells, and colored cloths.
Asked whether these items had any spiritual significance, he admitted that some could be used in traditional healing but stated that only the person who prepared them could confirm their purpose.
Detective Inspector Silishebo Silishebo, a forensic expert, testified that he photographed the suspects alongside the alleged charms at Police Headquarters. Among the images were close-ups of the accused pointing at various items, including a live chameleon, believed to be part of their alleged witchcraft tools.
During cross-examination, the defense questioned whether the officers could independently identify the items as witchcraft charms. They also challenged whether the accused were properly informed of their rights before being photographed.
