Neopaganism in South Africa
The movement is related to comparable trends in the United States and Western Europe and is mostly practiced by White South Africans of urban background;[1][2] it is to be distinguished from folk healing and mythology in local Bantu culture.
The new Constitution provided for the right to freedom of religion, belief and opinion, paving the way for Paganism in South Africa.
Early public activity included the first publication of Penton Pagan Magazine in December 1995, edited by Damon Leff, and the formation of the Pagan Federation of South Africa (PFSA) in June 1996, with Donna Vos elected as its first president.
[7] South African Pagans actively participate in a diverse variety of groups or function primarily as solitary practitioners.
[8] Pagan traditions practised in South Africa include Wicca, Neopagan witchcraft, Heathenry and Druidry.
[3] The capitalised terms of self-identification Pagan, Heathen, Witch and Witchcraft have been reappropriated by Neopagans worldwide, however historical negative stereotypes persist in the mainstream media and society in general.
The colonial terms witch and witchcraft also have strong negative connotations in a traditional African context, relating to concepts such as evil and harmful magic, and are not terms generally used by practitioners of traditional African religion to identify themselves.
[3] The term occult, meaning hidden or secret,[14] may be applied to Western esotericism practised by Pagans among others.
A Pagan wedding ceremony, also referred to as a handfasting, performed by someone other than a legally designated marriage officer could be legalised in a second civil ceremony although this option was restricted to opposite-sex couples prior to the implementation of the Civil Union Act.
[26][27] One of the SALRC's other new projects, the review of witchcraft legislation, will support the constitutional guarantee to freedom of religion, but will also serve to protect vulnerable groups.
These innocent victims are vulnerable to a double degree: as women and as older persons.Pagan organisations which have been designated as religious organisations by the Department of Home Affairs in accordance with section 5 of the Civil Union Act include the South African Pagan Rights Alliance (SAPRA),[29][30] the South African Pagan Council (SAPC),[31][32] the Correllian Nativist Tradition South Africa (CNTSA)[33] and the Circle of the African Moon (CAM).
