Debating the Witch in the South African Context: Issues Arising from the Sapc Conference 2007

When the contemporary Pagan traditions of Wicca and Witchcraft made a public emergence in South Africa in 1996, incidents of witchcraft-related violence and murder were as prolific in certain areas of the country as they had been for many preceding decades, and anti-witchcraft legislation—that criminalized witchcraft accusations and so-called ‘witchcraft-related’ activities—remained in place under the new Constitution. For over a decade, Pagan Witches gave little attention to this legislation and to the phenomenon of witchcraft beliefs and practices in indigenous African communities, at whom this legislation was directed. Such distancing rested largely on a self-understanding that their own definition and practices of Witchcraft were unrelated, and altogether quite different, from those of indigenous communities. This essay is a discursive account of circumstances that brought South African Pagan Witches into personal and collective engagements with those who propose new forms of anti-witchcraft legislation, those who argue for their repeal, and those whose worlds are directly influenced by their position in the world of harmful witchcraft practices; either as accuser, practitioner, or victim. The events that brought these two worldviews into direct dialogue are ongoing, and, as yet, lack resolution.