Case file · Witch trials
Witchcraft Suppression Act
South Africa's Witchcraft Suppression Act of 1957, based on colonial laws from 1895, made it a crime to accuse anyone of witchcraft, or to practise or claim knowledge of it.
1957 CE · -25.74, 28.21 · status: official
The account
Traditional healers argued the law criminalised their work and that, by denying witchcraft existed, it left communities without a lawful way to deal with their fears. It was challenged in court and partly replaced in some provinces in the 2000s.