Season of the witch has come, says report

Published Jun 6, 2001

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Marriages performed by witches as well as Mormon weddings should be approved by law, the South African Law Commission recommended on Wednesday.

The law commission presented a series of reports to the Minister of Justice, Penuell Maduna, in parliament on Wednesday.

The commission said the Marriage Act of 1961 was restrictive in that marriage officers can be designated only for the purpose of conducting marriages according to "Christian, Jewish or Mohammedan rites, or any Indian religion.

"Provision should be made that any religious organisation or denomination may apply to the minister of home affairs for recognition, and that they may nominate persons for designation by the minister as marriage officers," said the report.

Reverend Donna Darkwolf Vos, who describes herself as a witch and the arch priestess of the Aquarian Tabernacle Church, said the move was "fantastic".

She emphasised that there were strict provisions before people could be designated marriage officers.

Darkwolf Vos, who is also a high priestess of Kali and president of the Pagan Federation of South Africa, was present at the briefing and has previously made representations to the Law Commission on the act.

Darkwolf describes herself as a witch who follows a nature-based religion. Her religion had nothing to do with Satanism because Satan was a "deity who goes back only 2 000 years. He is a Christian problem, not ours," she said.

Asked whether her church would be conducting full-moon marriages, she said: "Tonight is a full moon and we will be gathering at my home, dancing and making merry. But no drugs and uncontrolled sex."

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