from ARNOLD MULENGA in Lusaka, Zambia
Zambia Bureau
LUSAKA, (CAJ News) – THE spate of jungle justice, whereby citizens take the law into their own hands, is getting out of hand in Zambia.
It also mirrors a clash between religion and tradition, as well as the recurring issue of witchcraft in the Southern African country.
Such incidents have escalated in recent days.
In the most recent incident, a 46-year-old woman, Eneless Hellen Kamutumbe, was beaten to death this past weekend by a mob in the Kalumbila area of the North-West Province, where she was accused of witchcraft for allegedly causing a man’s genitals to disappear.
Three officers were injured when they intervened in the chaos.
Police on Monday reported the arrest of 17 suspects.
Of the suspects apprehended, three are female.
Godfrey Chilabi, Zambia Police Service (ZPS) Public Relations Officer, did not rule out more arrests over the incident.
The regional Police Command has deployed additional officers from the School of Public Order Maintenance. They are conducting increased patrols in the district and surrounding areas.
“The Zambia Police Service strongly condemns this act of mob justice, including the destruction of government property by the mob during the incident,” Chilabi said.
Mobs have at times targeted police infrastructure to forcibly remove and attack suspects in custody.
“Members of the public are urged to remain calm and report any suspected criminal activity to the police, rather than taking the law into their own hands,” Chilabi said.
Police are further concerned with the continued circulation of graphic video footage related to this incident.
Last week, a mob in the Nkeyema District of the Western Province beat to death a man, Kalaluka Chuma, after he allegedly fatally stabbed three women on the same day on different occasions.
A crowd pounced on him when he allegedly attempted to attack another person with the same knife.
Among the deceased women, one killed at her home was aged 103. Two others, who were heading to an apostolic church, were 38 and 65.
“The ZPS is urging members of the public to remain calm and continue cooperating with law enforcement agencies as investigations progress,” Rae Hamonga, Provincial Police Commissioner, appealed.
Political parties and the Christian community are concerned.
Evangelist Tanazio Banda has appealed to the government to investigate.
He denounced this as “a grave concern that threatens the very fabric of our national peace.”
“This vice is not only a breakdown of the rule of law but a path that leads to the shedding of innocent blood,” Banda said.
The State House said President Hakainde Hichilema was “appalled.”
Hichilema has ordered that every individual responsible must be identified, arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
“There will be no impunity,” Clayson Hamasaka, State House Chief Communications Specialist, said on his behalf.
In September 2025, a local court sentenced two men to two years in prison for “attempting to use witchcraft” to kill Hichilema.
In Zambia, the prevalence of mob violence is blamed on low trust in police, high unemployment that keeps youth idle, and superstition.
– CAJ News