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08.09.2017 Feature Article

Zuma: Blame Not Witchcraft

Zuma: Blame Not Witchcraft
08.09.2017 LISTEN

People invoke witchcraft to make sense of misfortune in situations where they do not want to accept responsibility. They blame witches, demons and other evils spirits on occasions where they prefer to pass the buck or want to avoid blame. This is exactly the case with the South African President, Jacob Zuma in his latest witchcraftrhetoric . Zuma has reportedly blamed witchcraft for his party’s inability to beat the opposition, the Democratic Alliance in the Western Cape. He was quoted to have said:

“In the last elections, I was satisfied that we were taking the Western Cape‚ I even said so. What went wrong? I too can’t tell you. I don’t know‚ [maybe] it’s because of witchcraft, witches practice their craft in different ways”.

Just imagine that. How could a president of a country such as South Africa make such a baseless and irresponsible statement? What has an electoral defeat got to do with magic? If indeed the South African president was unable to decipher what went wrong at the election in Western Cape, why attribute the party’s dismal performance to witchcraft? How does the ‘ witches' practice’ explain this political outcome? Did witches vote in the elections? Did these occult forces steal or magically reduce the votes of the ANC in Western Cape? What actually did witches (assuming they exist) do? What are these so-called different ways that witches (whatever that means) practice their craft in the context of South African politics?

Using witchcraft to make sense of political situation often reinforces the belief in this superstitious idea. It gives the idea of witchcraft a creedal weight and force in the minds of ordinary people. In a country where accusations of witchcraft are rampant and these allegations often lead to attack and murder of imputed witches, it is important that politicians such as Jacob Zuma avoid making reckless and irresponsible statements that seem to give credence to the notion of witchcraft and the mistaken idea that witches exist and can cause political or electoral defeat. Witches cannot because they do not exist.

Witchcraft is a form of superstition. Witch belief is motivated by fear and ignorance. Witches are imaginary entities and are therefore not capable of doing what President Zuma and other witch believing folks assume they do or could do.

Zuma should identify the real causes and reasons behind his party’s electoral loss in Western Cape. Definitely, it is not witchcraft.

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