Witch-hunts are illegal and must be condemned
23 March 2012 | Mail & Guardian

In South Africa it is illegal to accuse anyone of witchcraft. During the 30-day campaign, which runs from March 29 to April 27, the alliance will be appealing to every­one to condemn witch-hunts. Human rights are for all, it says, including the victims of witch-hunts. - Read more...

Letter to the Editor
20 March 2012 | The Witness

in comment on... Dabbling in the occult

I would like to sincerely thank Robert de Neef for his unwitting promotion of the '30 days of advocacy against witch-hunts' campaign. Given the difficulty often experienced by Pagan-rights activists in this country to get fair news coverage on important campaigns such as this one, I welcome this unexpected opportunity to explain to readers of The Witness precisely why the '30 days' campaign was launched in 2007/8, and why it was eventually publicly supported by the South African Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities, in March 2011.

Contrary to expressed and highly prejudicial opinion, this campaign is not focused on the given constitutional right of South African Witches to practice our religion, although having such a guaranteed legal right certainly makes it possible for us to advocate in the name of those who have actually suffered violence, persecution and prejudice at the hands of witch-hunters. To this end we wish to draw your attention to the following facts. - Read more...

The South African Pagan Rights Alliance (SAPRA) was formed in 2004 as a faith-based (Pagan) human rights activist alliance.

SAPRA currently fulfils several important functions in line with its constitutional mandate, namely, to promote the guaranteed liberties and freedoms enshrined for all South African Pagans in the Bill of Rights and assist South African Pagans, whose constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms have been infringed due to unfair discrimination, to obtain appropriate redress.

Several successive Executive Committees have executed their mandate in a number of ways, including addressing and challenging media prejudice against Paganism, promoting positive media coverage of Paganism in general, challenging institutional and legislative prejudice against Witchcraft, and offering non-legal assistance to Pagans seeking advice or assistance in dealing with incidences of discrimination.

SAPRA CONSTITUTION

BECOME A MEMBER ?

Membership is restricted to South African citizens who identify as Pagans.

In March 2011 the South African 'Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities' publicly announced its support for this campaign. SOURCE

This advocacy campaign is sponsored by the South African Pagan Rights Alliance (SAPRA) and the South African Pagan Council, and supported by Pagan Federation International, Pagan Federation England and Wales, the Correllian Nativist Tradition (U.S.A. & S.A.), Circle Sanctuary (U.S.A.) and non-aligned individuals.

For more information on ongoing and current human rights abuses committed as a result of witchcraft accusations and witch-hunts visit SAPRA's ADVOCACY page.

If you would like to participate in this campaign
join Touchstone Advocacy on Facebook.

If you feel that your rights have been infringed contact your nearest Legal Resource to ascertain what your rights are and what you can do to ensure that your rights are upheld.

If you are a Pagan, have personally experienced prejudice or discrimination as a direct result of your religious choice or affiliation, and seek assistance and redress...

CONTACT: The Chief Executive Officer
E-mail: info@paganrightsalliance.org