Abstract

Witchcraft accusations and the resulting violence have become phenomenal of South Africa’s Limpopo Province (Prof S T Kgatla teaches in Missiology and Science of religion at the University of Pretoria South Africa). In the years 1996-2009, more than six hundred people have lost their lives because of witchcraft-related violence (For the statistics of the people killed and displaced from their homes, see yearly police records made available by the Crime Analysis Centre in Pietersburg (now Polokwane). This poses serious problems that are economically, socially and politically disruptive and frustrate any attempt at self-development. Hence, there is an urgent need to curb the violent elements of witchcraft accusations. Human weaknesses, including gossip and jealousy, or negative political and economic rivalries are at the centre of the accusations. Most of these witchcraft accusations emanate from the ‘home’ and the family, where people spend much of their time together as kinsmen and friends, disrupting social harmony and relationships. As a rule, the first people to be suspected of witchcraft are those living close to the complainers. People who are supposed to live communally and care for one another find themselves in antagonistic relationships, fighting where they should be cooperating. Witchcraft accusations, therefore, underline the sad fact that jealousy, hatred and aggression exist within the intimate circle of the family, where solidarity and trust should reign supreme. The prevalence of this phenomenon puts a large degree of stress on everyone within close family circles, because the fear of being pointed out as a witch and the consequences that may follow from such an accusation keep people in a constant state of agony. Rumours, gossip and slanderous talk frustrate and render victims utterly helpless. Under these circumstances people never know who will be the next victim of witchcraft accusations, and are unsure about what to do to avoid being accused.

Key words: witchcraft, accusations, persecutions, suffering, victims, containment, controlling, poverty, transformation, scapegoat, transformation.