The Witch Craft Suppression Act

The witchcraft suppression act 2 of 1895 (The witchcraft suppression Act 3 of 1957).


It was a law of South Africa that prohibits various activities related to witchcraft. Although this act's intension was to prohibit ritual murder and sacrifice - to stop bodily harm to people of other races. The act itself would directly impact African medicine men, healers, blacksmiths and crafters.


Iron

The process of using fire to transform ore into metal, metal into an object was seen in Africa as a dangerous act of creation which was susceptible to interference by ancestral spirits and by witches from other communities. Ore smelting was often carried out at same distance from villages, the blacksmiths were separated from other parts of society they lived on the edge of settlements because the blacksmiths were known for using sacrifices to offer ancestral spirits they were often mis-categorized as witches.


Killings

Chiefs, medicine men, prophets, rain-makers, craftsmen including hut/palace builders and black smiths all these people would be jailed, fined or killed. 

"Killings occurred when chiefs acted as mediators in witchcraft accusation cases. Because tribal courts were no longer allowed to prosecute alleged witches, or even hear witchcraft accusation cases, people came to believe that chiefs were protecting witches or even colluding with them."

The African knowledge suppression

Which resulted in the death of knowledge for Metalworking, mining, trading, agriculture, architecture and writings along with the hut tax, the witch suppression act which should be renamed the African knowledge suppression would see the total silence of African spiritually and knowledge based systems.


"To provide traditional African healing with scientific status, others – starting with Motlana's 1988 call to stop romanticizing the evil depredations of the 'African Healer ' in order to free patients from the tyranny of superstition"

Other Articles:

Regulating Muthi

African Customs vs Western Laws


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