South African Pagans are not insulated from ‘Christian-right’ religious intolerance. A local event, Witchamp 2018, organised by High Priestess and founder of Coven of the Crossroads, Leanne Middleton, is being targeted with blood libel and protest by Andries Steyn and his Apostolic Voice to the Nations ministry.
If the CRL Rights Commission chairperson Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva thinks minority Pagan religions and Pagan religious leaders will be bound by the conclusive deliberations conducted exclusively between Christian organisations and their representatives, or in any way be bound to the regulation of our faiths by the SACRRF, she is mistaken. Pagans will not be dictated to by any majority, on any issue! Consult with Pagans, or remain irrelevant to us.
US President Donald Trump’s recent tweet, following the misinformed Fox News coverage by Tucker Carlson, of South Africa’s intention to expropriate land without compensation, was not motivated by the spirit...
Trust in our Democracy. Engage constructively in the democratic process. Engage constructively with each other, and work for a more just and equal society for all South Africans.
Beneath the surface of the public South African Pagan community, an entity forged largely by common identity and composed of numerous independent groups and individuals, lies a general malaise of discontent. Its origin lies firmly embedded in a perceived entitlement, by a tiny and variable minority within the larger community, to prejudice. It is self-evident that those who accuse me of causing dissent and division in the South African Pagan community, are themselves solely guilty of sowing dissent and causing division; of channeling and feeding the lumbering monster of discontent within their own insular communities. Their accusations are simply projections of insecurity by those with prejudice. I am their straw-man.
The true value of Friday’s public protest lies in the free expression of the will of citizens emboldened to stand against a government that has demonstrated a lack of public accountability and good governance. The people’s march won’t unseat the President, but it will demonstrate that citizens do not approve of the way in which the African National Congress and its President is governing South Africa.
Interview with Christina Engela, author, activist and Witch. “In fiction I have seven completed novels, one novelette, and a collection of short stories. The Galaxii Series has three titles, and the Quantum Series, four. In non-fiction, before 2010 I wrote two books on the topic of LGBT persecution at the hands of Christianist organizations around the world and in South Africa, and a short FAQ booklet about the Pink Community (LGBT). These are out of print now, but I have plans to resurrect revised versions of them later. In this year “Bugspray”, my book about VW Beetles, was released as well.” Christina Engela is the proud owner of a warped sense of humor, and it shows.
Mja Principe is a founding member and Convener of the South African Pagan Council. I interview her about the South African Law Reform Commission’s review of the Witchcraft Suppression Act and the newly proposed Prohibition of Harmful Practices Associated with Witchcraft Beliefs Bill.