In Defence of Witchcraft
- 9 November 2007 - .pdf - 29.9 KB
African Institute defames Witches
- 2 November 2007 - .pdf - 31.4 KB
In Defence of Halloween
- 26 October 2007 - .pdf - 39.1 KB
The Progressive Pagan Alliance
- 26 October 2007 - .pdf - 41.1 KB
Sapra September 2007 Review
- 16 September 2007
The democratically elected Executive Committee of the Alliance has received the following mandate from its members:
i. Appeal for legislative reform of the 1957 Witchcraft Suppression Act.
ii. Pursue the reclamation of the terms 'Witch' and ‘Witchcraft’.
iii. Support the initiatives of the South African Pagan Council.
The Alliance determines that the right to define the words ‘Witch’ and ‘Witchcraft’ rests with Witches themselves and no one else. The Alliance will not, in seeking to protect the democratic rights and freedoms of South African Witches, seek to support the criminalisation of any other person or minority group, irrespective of race or ethnicity, on the basis of belief or religion. The Alliance will continue to ensure that no legislation will ever be drafted which will in any way prohibit or criminalize South African citizens on the grounds of belief or religion, or as the result of automatic inference of criminality.
In executing its mandate, the Executive of the Alliance has taken the following actions:
The Executive has submitted a formal appeal to the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development to (a) review the 1957 Witchcraft Suppression Act, and (b) ensure that the Mpumalanga Legislature does not draft any legislation which will in any way prohibit or criminalize South African citizens on the grounds of belief or religion, or as the result of automatic inference of criminality. This appeal was submitted to Minister B.S. Mabandla on 10 July 2007. The Minister has refered SAPRA’s appeal to prevent the Mpumalanga Legislature from drafting any legislation which will in any way prohibit or criminalize South African citizens on the grounds of belief or religion, irrespective of race or ethnicity, or as the result of automatic inference of criminality, to the Minister of Provincial and Local Government. The Minister has refered SAPRA’s appeal for legislative review of the 1957 Witchcraft Suppression Act to the Parliamentary Legislative review committee for further investigation.
The Executive has submitted an appeal to the South African Law Reform Commission to initiate urgent legislative reform to the Witchcraft Suppression Act (Act 3 of 1957 as amended by Act 50 of 1970) in order to prevent any further or future unfair discrimination and prejudice against citizens of a free and democratic country founded on the recognition of human dignity, equality for all - irrespective of religion or belief, and the advancement of human rights and freedoms for all South African citizens equally. This appeal was submitted to Mr W. Henegan: Secretariat of the South African Law Reform Commission on 10 July 2007. The South African Law Reform Commission has acknowledged that it is currently reviewing the Alliance’s appeal to initiate legislative reform of the 1957 Witchcraft Suppression Act.
The Executive has submitted objections against the proposed Mpumalanga Witchcraft Suppression Bill drafted by the Mpumalanga Legislature, to the MEC C. Mashego-Dlamini of the Mpumalanga Provincial Government, and has appealed to the MEC to consider the ramifications of permitting acceptance of the Mpumalanga Witchcraft Suppression Bill on residents of Mpumalanga Province who do define themselves as Witches and who do define their religion as Witchcraft. These citizens of the Republic of South Africa will be denied their constitutional rights to religious freedom, expression, equality, liberty, dignity, security and their right to choose and practice their occupation within the Province of Mpumalanga. These objections were delivered to the Provincial Executive Committee of the Department of Local Government and Housing (acting on behalf of the MEC) in person on behalf of the Alliance by Mr. Luke Martin (a member of SAPRA and Convenor of the South African pagan Council) on 10 August 2007.
The Executive has submitted substantial objections against the proposed Mpumalanga Witchcraft Suppression Bill to the Mpumalanga Legislature. Three separate submissions in objection to the Suppression Bill were submitted on 5, 7 and 9 July 2007. It should be noted that the Alliance registered as an Interested and Affected party with the Office of the Premier – Mpumalanga Provincial Government, on *25 June 2007*.
NOTE:
The Mpumalanga Provincial Government and Legislature have stated that they will not proceed with legislation against Witchcraft.
Witchcraft is already a recognised belief system and religion in South Africa and as such, Witches are already accorded all rights, protections and privileges enshrined in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of South Africa [Act 108 of 1996] by virtue of South African citizenship. Section 9 (3) [Act 108] reads: (3) The state may not unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on one or more grounds, including race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth.
The Mpumalanga Provincial Government and Legislature have absolutely no intention of pursuing the draft Witchcraft Suppression Bill.
The Mpumalanga Premier's Office has stated that the Mpumalanga Provincial Government have a mandate to draft legislation to:
(i.) prevent ritual killings, and
(ii.) prevent accusations of witchcraft which lead to violence.
The Executive submitted a request to the Commission on Gender Equality for a formal ‘Commission of Enquiry’ into the ongoing persecution of innocent persons falsely accused of being witches and of practicing witchcraft in South Africa. The letter of appeal is dated 12 February 2007. The Executive submitted the same request for a formal ‘Commission of Enquiry’ to the South African Human Rights Commission. The letter of appeal is dated 19 February 2007. The Executive submitted the same request for a formal ‘Commission of Enquiry’ to the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development. The letter of appeal is also dated 19 February 2007.
Sapra Rebuttal of the 'CNCI SAPC Conference Report'
- 15 September 2007 - .pdf - 62.4 KB
PRESS COVERAGE - July 2007
Witches are not criminals, but have religious and spiritual rights too.
July 2007
That's the argument the South African Pagan Rights Alliance (Sapra) wants to use to protect the belief of witchcraft against a newly proposed bill, The Star newspaper reported on Friday.
Read: http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2150536,00.html
Battle over witches' rights
July 2007
Read: http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2150536,00.html
S.Africa witches fight for rights
July 2007
JOHANNESBURG, July 20 (Reuters Life!) - A group representing South African witches says it wants their beliefs protected against a proposed law to suppress witchcraft in the country, often called a model of human rights.
The South African Pagan Rights Alliance (SAPRA) -- an organisation representing what it says are between 3,000-5,000 witches in the country -- said on Friday it would fight a proposed bill to criminalise witchcraft in one of the country's nine provinces. "We think that this is a serious violation of our constitutional rights and in fact the bill is in contradiction with at least 11 clauses in the bill of rights," SAPRA convenor Damon Leff told Reuters. The clauses, Leff said, include the right to equality, freedom of association, choice of occupation or profession and the freedom to choose a religion or culture, among others.
Read: http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL20806502.html
Witches need protection, says Sapra
July 2007
By Louise Flanagan
Witches are not criminals, but have religious and spiritual rights too.
Read: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=vn20070720060153310C983324
Healers, pagans oppose new witchcraft bill
July 2007
Riot Hlatshwayo
Mpumalanga’s proposed Witchcraft Suppression Bill came under fire during a stakeholders’ consultative meeting this week. The Traditional Health Organisation (THO) and the South African Pagan Council (SAPC) opposed the bill. About 50 THO members, led by its national president, Nhlavana Maseko, met the Local Government and Housing Department.
Read: http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=518307
Sapra comments on Butsakatsi and Witchcraft Courts
- 17 July 2007 - .pdf - 30.5 KB
Sapra comments on THO definition of Witchcraft
- 17 July 2007 - .pdf - 34.1 KB
Official recognition of Pagan Religious Holiday as a Public Holiday ?
May 2007
In a discussion document entitled 'The RDP of the Soul' [1] recently published by the African National Congress (ANC), and which is to be debated by ANC branches ahead of the ANC's National Policy Conference in June, the ANC’s Commission for Religious Affairs (CRA) has urged that the multi- religious nature of South Africa be recognised and has proposed that Christmas and Easter, Eid ul Fitr, Diwali and Yom Kippur be celebrated as Public Holidays.
The document, a review and analysis of the Liberation struggle, seeks to encourage the reconstruction and development of the nation's spirit, and to "devise policies and set out comprehensive programmes for secular transformation by spiritual values… wherever people are learning to transform human community together."
It reaffirms that unity of the spirit "is the RDP of the soul", and calls on all religions to "agree on the great spiritual truths which drive humanity", and to "hold the same values in common whether it is love, joy, or peace; honesty, justice or integrity; generosity, responsibility or loyalty".
The ANC’s proposal is a tangible realization of the already constitutionally enshrined guarantee to equality of religion in South Africa, and it fulfills the aspiration of the ANC’s Freedom Charter [2], declared at the ‘Congress of the People’ in Kliptown, South Africa on 26 June 1955, “that only a democratic state, based on the will of all the people, can secure to all their birthright without distinction of colour, race, sex or belief”.
The Commission’s proposal to increase the number of religious Public Holidays has been welcomed by members of diverse religious groups. It is especially welcomed by Pagans lobbying for the transformation of the existing Public Holiday calendar in which the only two religious public holidays, Christmas and Easter, are Christian. [3]
The South African Pagan Rights Alliance is of the opinion that South African Pagans should also be afforded the same recognition with the addition of one Pagan religious holiday to the official Public Holiday calendar. SAPRA would argue, in light of the recent publication of 'The RDP of the Soul', that the ANC CRA's proposal to "recognise the multi-religious nature of our society and Constitution" can not be achieved by dismissing as irrelevent the request of smaller religious minorities for equal recognition.
We hold that the rights to freedom and equality of religion enshrined in the Bill of Rights are not apportioned on the basis of numerical adherence, but aught to be granted to all religious expressions equally, without favouritism or bias.
References:
[1] The RDP of the Soul
http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/policy/2007/discussion/rdp.html
[2] Freedom Charter
http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/charter.html
[3] Public Holidays Act, No. 36 of 1994
http://www.info.gov.za/acts/1994/a36-94.pdf
