The High Court in Kabwe is today set to hear a habeas corpus application concerning Ms Maria Zaloumis, a prominent Zambian entrepreneur and agricultural advocate widely known as the “ZedFarmer.”
The application seeks to challenge her continued detention following her arrest on August 24, 2025, in connection with the death of Mr. Enock Simfukwe, a Zambian male who trespassed on her farm near Kabwe.
The alleged assailant was apprehended, and confessed to having been sent to harm the ZedFarmer. He was handed over to the police who detained him but later died five hours after detention in police custody on 17th August as a matter of recorded fact.
Ms Zaloumis, along with her partner and three farm workers, stands accused of murder following the death of Mr Simfukwe, who, according to her statement to police, trespassed onto her property armed with acid and allegedly intended to cause grievous harm.
“The acid was supposed to be póured on the fáce of the ZedFarmer in order to cause pêrmanent hárm on her,” investigators were told.
Since her arrest, Ms Zaloumis has been held in custody without trial, separated from her three children, including a one-year-old infant.