Page:Witchcraft Suppression Amendment Act 1970.djvu/2

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Government Gazette, 18th September, 1970
No. 28213

Witchcraft Suppression Amendment Act, 1970.
Act No. 50, 1970.

Act

To amend the Witchcraft Suppression Act, 1957, so as to make it an offence for a person who pretends to exercise supernatural powers, to impute the cause of certain occurrences to another person; and to provide for incidental matters.



(English text signed by the State President.)
(Assented to 11th September, 1970.)


Be it enacted by the State President, the Senate and the House of Assembly of the Republic of South Africa, as follows:―


Substitution of section 1 of Act 3 of 1957.

1. The following section is hereby substituted for section 1 of the Witchcraft Suppression Act, 1957:

“Offences relating to the practice of witchcraft and similar practices.

1. Any person who—

(a)

imputes to any other person the causing, by supernatural means, of any disease in or injury or damage to any person or thing, or who names or indicates any other person as a wizard;

(b)

in circumstances indicating that he professes or pretends to use any supernatural power, witchcraft, sorcery, enchantment or conjuration, imputes the cause of death of, injury or grief to, disease in, damage to or disappearance of any person or thing to any other person;

(c)

employs or solicits any witchdoctor, witch-finder or any other person to name or indicate any person as a wizard;

(d)

professes a knowledge of witchcraft, or the use of charms, and advises any person how to bewitch, injure or damage any person or thing, or supplies any person with any pretended means of witchcraft;

(e)

on the advice of any witchdoctor, witch-finder or other person or on the ground of any pretended knowledge of witchcraft, uses or causes to be put into operation any means or process which, in accordance with such advice or his own belief, is calculated to injure or damage any person or thing;