Zambian teenager confesses killing two women for ritual wealth

KABWE—(MaraviPost)’A 17-year-old boy is in police custody in central Zambia after allegedly confessing to the murders of two young women he said he intended to use in a get-rich ritual.

According to reports, police in Kabwe said the teenager broke down during interrogation and admitted killing 20-year-old student midwife Gladness Nambuka and 26-year-old domestic worker Patricia Michelo.

The two killings, which happened weeks apart in Kabwe, had sparked fear and outrage in the town after the women were found murdered under similar circumstances.

According to investigators, the suspect told detectives he was lured by promises of quick wealth from traditional ritual practices that claim human souls can be used to bring riches. Police say he believed killing the women would make him rich.

Background

Nambuka, a midwifery student described by her college as bright and promising, was reported missing before her body was discovered.

Her death triggered protests by fellow nursing students in Kabwe who demanded faster police action.

Shortly after, Michelo, who worked as a house help, was also found dead, intensifying public pressure on police.

Authorities launched a joint investigation and arrested the teenager as a person of interest last week. Police say forensic leads and community tips linked him to both scenes.

The suspect, whose name is being withheld because he is a minor, is expected to undergo age verification and mental assessment before being formally charged.

Under Zambian law, murder suspects under 18 are held separately and tried under special juvenile procedures, though murder carries a heavy custodial sentence.

Police have also said they are investigating a suspected traditional healer who allegedly advised the teenager, warning the public against ritual killing scams that have been on the rise in parts of Zambia and the wider region.

Both families have called for justice, while the Ministry of Home Affairs has urged communities to report anyone promoting money rituals involving human life.

Ritual killings in Zambia

Ritual killings in Zambia are not an everyday occurrence, but they are a recurring and deeply troubling crime that resurfaces with alarming regularity.

While the Zambia Police Service does not release a separate annual statistic for ritual murder, since murders of this nature are prosecuted as murder, police briefings and court records from the past three years show a steady pattern.

Cases are reported every few months, often in Lusaka, the Copperbelt and Central Province, with victims frequently being women, children, or people living alone.

In many instances, suspects later tell police they were acting on instructions from a traditional healer who promised sudden wealth in exchange for a human life or soul.

The persistence of the crime is rooted in a mix of economic hardship and entrenched superstition.

With youth unemployment high and formal opportunities limited, the promise of quick riches through so-called money rituals holds a dangerous appeal for some young men.

That vulnerability has been amplified by social media, where self-styled healers openly advertise wealth-boosting charms and spiritual money, despite a government crackdown on such adverts that began in 2022.

Victims are often chosen because they are accessible and their absence may not be noticed immediately, such as students, domestic workers, or minors.

Human rights groups say many such killings initially enter the system as missing person cases, which complicates investigation and prosecution in a country where forensic capacity is limited and many cases rely heavily on confessions.

The government and the Traditional Healer’s Association of Zambia have repeatedly condemned the practice, insisting that genuine traditional healing has no connection to human sacrifice.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has urged the public to report anyone demanding human life for rituals.

Although Zambia does not record the highest numbers in the region, the continued emergence of cases like the recent confessions in Kabwe shows that the belief remains dangerously alive, particularly among desperate teenagers lured by the illusion of easy wealth.

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