The South African Pagan Rights Alliance (SAPRA) has been designated by the South African Revenue Service as a Public Benefit Organisation (PBO) engaged in public benefit activities. As a PBO, SAPRA is now a Tax Exempt Institution and donations made to SAPRA are now tax-deductible.
It’s that time of the year again and some people are preparing to spook the hell out of each other (pun intended). Well, some more than others. Despite it being a jolly and fun filled occasion, providing the opportunity for many people to dress up as their favourite horror pop-culture reference, there are always the ‘Debby downer’ social media Adele Vreys, who anxiously run to social media to warn their fellow Christians about “Satan’s holiday” and how every believer “should not serve two masters” by celebrating this “evil day”.
Pagans in the southern hemisphere celebrate Beltane in October, not Halloween, Adele.
These peculiar reactions always demonstrate what the late Anton LaVey said, tongue-in-cheek, in his 9th Satanic statement: “The Devil has been the best friend the church has ever had, as he has kept it in business all these years.”
Little do these anxious morality crusaders know, or care, that modern Halloween actually originates as a plagiarised Christian celebration appropriated by Catholic Christians from Irish pagans.
Join the South African Pagan Rights Alliance and its members as we review the historical facts and contemporary human rights abuses against victims of accusation of witchcraft, international advocacy against accusations of witch-hunts globally, and legislative reform against witchcraft suppression legislation in South Africa by this Alliance.
World Day against Witch-hunts
10 August 2024
Philisiwe Zuma (33), Thubelihle Shezi (24), and Mazwi Lembethe (23), were recently found guilty of double murder and arson and were sentenced by the Greytown Regional Court to life.
The South African Pagan Rights Alliance wishes to thank the Greytown Regional Court for not accepting a ‘witchcraft belief defence’ in mitigation of sentencing in this case.
The consideration of a belief in “witchcraft” as a mitigating factor in sentencing is wholly inappropriate as this will not discourage further accusations of witchcraft or witch-hunts. The purpose of sentencing must be deterrence. Our courts must never lend credence to the perpetrators unproveable “beliefs” that motivate violence against victims of witchcraft accusation.
An industrial psychologist and self-appointed life coach, Madeleine Pretorius (48), has accused Swift of including “satanic symbolism in her songs and music videos, as well as during her worldwide Eras tour” in a Facebook video, which has been viewed over 5000 times. Pretorius’ accusations are nothing more than what was initially hurled at Fokofpolisiekar, ACDC, Metallica, and other popular culture and media, in the 80s to early 90s. Moral panics of such a nature are generally proven by experts, to have little (if any) rational basis!
Conspiracy theories and moral panics have no place in news reports or Psychology practices and frameworks in South Africa, as they are harmful and unprofessional. Qualified Industrial Psychologists, like Pretorius, aught NOT be endorsing irrational Satanic panic conspiracies.
Suid-Afrika is weer vasgevang in ‘n morele (Sataniese) paniek. Die soort paniek wat ons in die laat 80’s laas gesien het, toe Rodney Seale, John Gardiner, Kobus Jonker, en hul trawante nog hul rondtes by skole gedoen het om kinders by ACSV bang te praat met boeke en pamflette, teen “die gevaar van rock musiek en Satanisme”. Mens sou dus dink, dat in 2024, ‘n samelewing sou bestaan wat al weggedoen het met dié uitgedateerde persepsies oor populêre kultuur, musiek, en kunstenaars, wat die Afrikaanse jeug wil besoedel met subtiele aanhitsing tot seks, dwelms, geweld, en goddeloosheid in hul lirieke -en konserte. Toe nie. Die naweek, bykans net ná Paasfees, is Suid-Afrika (weereens) in rep-en-roer oor ‘n kunstenaar se kwansuise “duiwelaanbiddery” en “heksery”, tydens konserte -en musiekvideos.
Hierdie keer is dit Taylor Swift, van alle kunstenaars, wat skielik nou persona non grata is. Die Afrikaner-Christen-publiek se hoof opponent, wat binnekort Suid-Afrika toe kom vir ‘n ekonomies belowende konsert, tydens haar Eras-wêreldtoer! So, waar het Swift dan so verkeerd geloop?
The Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill seeks to amend the South African Schools Act of 1996. Since its introduction in January 2022, the Bill has been criticised by parents, civil society organisations and opposition Political Parties in the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces.
Some of this criticism amounts to uninformed bias and malicious prejudice, rather than fact.
We separate the facts from the uninformed bias, and name the provocateurs.
Christie has sought support for his anti-LGBTQ cause on social media, drawing backing from notable queer-phobic organisations, AfriForum Jeug and the African Christian Democratic Party. These organisations advocate for his reinstatement, portraying him as a victim of alleged attempts by “higher authorities” to suppress “religious freedom and Christian values”.
In response to Christie’s behaviour, this Alliance has appealed to the South African Human Rights Commission in pursuit of strict and decisive action against Christie.
Interview with Director of the South African Pagan Rights Alliance, Damon Leff. (9 January 2023) Interviewed by Sarah Jack and Josh Hutchinson Witch Hunt Podcast https://witchhuntshow.com/
In March 2023 the Pan-African Parliament released its “Guidelines on Accusations of witchcraft and ritual attacks: towards eliminating harmful practices and other human rights violations” at the joint sittings of the Committee on Gender, Youth, Family and People with Disability, the Committee on Health, Labour and Social Affairs, and the Committee on Education, Culture, Tourism, and Human Resources at the PAP headquarters in Midrand, South Africa.
These articles relate to the early events of the Krugersdorp murder saga.
SAPRA and others in the community were already skeptical when new cases labeled in the media as “occult” and “satanic crimes” appeared. History has proven that our skepticism had merit. Our hypothesis that it is Christian anti-Satanism and anti-Occult hysteria and propaganda fueling cases also proved to be correct. Legend trippers enact the “Christian myth of Satanism” and frequently have no real knowledge on the occult or Satanism.
In fact, the focus on identifying Satanists involved with the crime and the involvement of the Occult Related Crimes/Harmful Religious Practices Unit and “Colonel X” caused severe delays as they chased red herrings in their religious quest to fight the devil.
SAPRA and others in the community were already skeptical when new cases labeled in the media as “occult” and “satanic crimes” appeared. History has proven that our skepticism had merit. Our hypothesis that it is Christian anti-Satanism and anti-Occult hysteria and propaganda fueling cases also proved to be correct. Legend trippers enact the “Christian myth of Satanism” and frequently have no real knowledge on the occult or Satanism.
Despite obvious theological divergence between Paganism and Satanism, both religious movements find common ground within the Occult and Occultism. The Department of Education’s intention to single out so-called “occultism” or “occult practices” as harmful constitutes a very real threat to the religious freedoms guaranteed for children who may choose, or who may already have chosen, to explore or become adherents of Pagan Witchcraft or Satanism, or who have or do show any inclination or fascination with the Occult or Occultism.
We would like to thank formal SAPRA members, and international supporters, for their unwavering support for this campaign to end witch-hunts in South Africa. Thank you. We note that there have been no reports of witch-hunts in our country since 2021. We will continue to closely monitor published news reports to ensure that accusations of witchcraft never ever lead to witch-hunts in South Africa again.
In June 2022 the South African Law Reform Commission confirmed its recommendation for the repeal of the Witchcraft Suppression Act.
This Alliance herewith submits further comment in objection to the proposed draft “Prohibition of Harmful Practices and Unlawful Accusations of Harmful Witchcraft Practices Bill”.
The South African Pagan Rights Alliance – SAPRA is proud to announce a virtual (online) seminar, dedicated to the celebration of the heritage of Left-hand path religions and philosophies in South Africa.
Date: 24 September 2022
Time: 11:00-13:00
CALL FOR PAPERS
Theme: Dancing Under A (South) African Moon: New Religious Movements in a Christian hegemonised context.
If you are a practitioner of Paganism, Witchcraft, Luciferianism, Shamanism, or Satanism, we invite you to come and join us in a public discussion, reflecting information on beliefs and practices within the South African Pagan community in celebration of its sacred Occult heritage. All submissions, academic and non-academic, are welcome.
Submit submissions by Thursday, 22 September 2022
The South African Pagan Rights Alliance celebrates Occult Heritage Month in September by re-exploring our collective historical occult heritage; including diverse topics such as Neoplatonism and Hermeticism, Mysticism, Alchemy, the Western Magic Traditions, Theurgy and Goetia, Divination, Spiritism, and the birth of Neo-Paganism.
For some evangelical Christians however, the mention of Occultism conjures only fearful primal fantasies of the loss of assumed religious authority, spirit possession, the adjuration of demonic forces and the hidden machinations of fabricated folk devils. A century ago, they might have organised a good witch-hunt. Today they tend to ply their false witness against identified religious minorities through the media.
The consideration of a belief in “witchcraft” as a mitigating factor in sentencing is wholly inappropriate as this will not discourage further accusations of witchcraft or witch-hunts. The purpose of sentencing must be deterrence. Our courts must not lend credence to the perpetrators unproveable “beliefs” that motivated violence against the victim.
Revised Discussion Paper 158, Project 135: The Review of the Witchcraft Suppression Act 3 of 1957.
The Alliance has received an invitation from the South African Law Reform Commission to comment on a revised discussion paper for Project 135 (The Review of the Witchcraft Suppression Act 3 of 1957), released for public comment. The closing date for comment is 31 October 2022.