05/10/2026
NOT EVERYTHING IS WITCHCRAFT
Sometimes, we ought to spare our old aunts and grannies.
When life goes wrong, why is our first instinct sometimes to look for someone to blame? An old aunt in the village. A grandmother who keeps to herself. A relative we have never really understood. Suddenly, somebody must have bewitched us.
But before pointing fingers, perhaps we should first ask:
How do I apply myself to life?
How do I live? What choices do I make? What company do I keep? How do I treat my body, my family, my finances and my future?
Sometimes we live so recklessly that we practically sign a blank cheque for our own destruction, then, when consequences arrive to cash it, we shout, Witchcraft!
Meanwhile, the devil has probably been relegated to a comfortable corner office, sipping ch*****ne 🍾 with his feet on the table and enjoying a bowl of popcorn 🍿.
Why?
Because some days he doesn't even need to work overtime.
Our own conduct is enough.
We drink recklessly. We drive recklessly. We abuse our bodies. We ignore advice. We make terrible financial decisions. We destroy relationships through pride. We entertain jealousy, hatred and greed. We repeatedly walk into danger despite all the warning signs.
Then when the inevitable happens, poor Granny becomes the prime suspect.
Haibo! What did Granny do? 😄
Perhaps nobody buried anything at your gate.
Perhaps nobody visited a traditional doctor because of you.
Perhaps that aunt you have been suspecting has been peacefully sleeping every night while you have been manufacturing your own problems during the day.
There is certainly evil in this world, and people have different beliefs about its causes. But we must never allow those beliefs to replace personal responsibility.
Sometimes the greatest enemy is not hiding in the village.
Not behind a tree.
Not inside some mysterious pot.
Sometimes the enemy is standing right in front of us, in the mirror.
Before blaming witchcraft, let us examine our choices.
Before accusing Granny, let us examine our conduct.
Before searching for an enemy somewhere else, let us make sure we haven't become enemies of our own lives.
Not everything is witchcraft.
Sometimes, we are our own enemies.
Thembinkosi M. Bafana
