Kanakantapa, Zambia - Angry villagers set ablaze houses in a compound alleged to be home for suspected ‘Satanists’ in Kanakantapa area in Chongwe District, an incident in which three members of a named church at the heart of the controversy, were seriously injured.
The houses were allegedly set ablaze yesterday around 11:00 hours, following allegations that the members of the religious group practiced Satanism and were terrorizing the villagers in the surrounding areas.
Some of the buildings that were destroyed in the inferno included a community school, a church and about 20 houses.
Chongwe District Commissioner Japhen Mwakalombe confirmed the incident to ZANIS in an interview yesterday and said that all the members of the religious group were left homeless.
Mr. Mwakalombe condemned the outrageous villagers who took the law into their own hands and called on the police to arrest the culprits responsible for the destructive action.
Mr. Mwakalombe said, although the members of the named religious group were being accused of practicing Satanism, they did not deserve the punishment they were subjected to.
He also called on the leader of the named religious group, to live in peace with the people in the neighboring villages and cooperate with government in implementing the various development programs being undertaken in the area.
Mr. Mwakalombe said, the religious group allegedly refused to be counted during the recent national census exercise and did not want to seek medical attention when they fell sick, in accordance with their hard-line religious beliefs and practices.