Which term for witches?

2009-09-14 21:06

Tshwarelo eseng Mogakane

Nelspruit - A group of white witches have criticised ANC MP Adrian Williams for suggesting that South Africans not use the word "witch".

The South African Pagan Rights Alliance (SAPRA) cautioned Williams - a self-confessed Wiccan - of speaking on behalf of all witches in the country when he said last week that he believes the words "witch" and "witchcraft" were too offensive to be used in South Africa, where people accused of being witches are brutally murdered.

"I am a Wiccan and I belong to a coven, but I believe the word 'witch' is highly offensive in the country. This is not Australia or the United States. Here, people known as witches get killed," Williams said on Thursday.

Witchcraft

Williams said there were examples in Limpopo and Mpumalanga where people have been hacked to death or had their properties burned on a slight suspicion that they were practising witchcraft.

SAPRA rejected Williams's views on the use of the word "witch", saying communities must be educated about other people's religious beliefs and practices.

"While Williams self-identifies as pagan, it should be noted that he has no mandate to speak on behalf of all the witches in South Africa," said SAPRA director, Damon Leff.

The Traditional Healers Organisation (THO) said while they sympathise with SAPRA, they will not fight for the reclamation of the word "witch".

'Wise woman'

"The word 'witch' was used in Africa before colonialists came. It originally meant 'a wise woman'. She was the type of woman who could foretell the future and heal people, but colonialists came and destroyed the meaning of the word," said THO national co-ordinator, Phephisile Maseko.

She said any black person who calls themselves a witch risked being lynched, while a white person faced less risk.

"Let (the whites) reclaim it and use it for themselves. We don't want it because it has already been destroyed and will spark fear within communities, as they know (witchcraft) as dark magical powers," said Maseko.

- African Eye