Belonging is not a luxury. It is not a soft, sentimental idea. It is a fundamental human need. Psychologists have long recognised that the need to belong sits alongside our need for safety and security. We are social beings. We thrive when we feel seen, understood and accepted. We suffer when we feel excluded, misunderstood Read more
The Human Need to Belong – and the Courage to Live Authentically Read More »
This opinion piece was written by SASS member “Joy” Bless. It started with some rather personal experience: first with a friend of mine, in South Africa, then with a niece in Latin America. Two very different regions of the world, two very different cultures and religions, but with the same reaction: “How can you not
The Growth of the Non-religious Population and its Challenges Read More »
Human dignity, equality, critical thinking, and evidence-based progress South Africa enters 2026 carrying both promise and strain. We are a constitutional democracy founded on human dignity, equality, and freedom, yet we continue to live with deep inequality, social fragmentation, and a persistent gap between policy intention and lived reality. In this context, secular values are
What Secular Values Offer South Africa in 2026 Read More »
When the South African Secular Society (SASS) was established in 2014, a Secular Charter was adopted. This outlines the principles of the secular state that SASS strives to achieve. Comparative approaches to secular charters around the world Across the world, societies have found different ways to formalise the principle of secularism — the separation of religion
Our Secular Charter: Your Rights, Explained Read More »
An opinion piece by Secular Society member Declan Ahern. The Halloween-industrial complex is a marvel of late-stage capitalism: an American industry now projected to be worth over R227 billion built entirely on a fiction we collectively agree to enjoy. Think about that for a moment. We live in the age of CRISPR, quantum computing, and
Halloween, the Tokoloshe and the Algorithm: How We Engineer Our Own Ghosts Read More »
Some South African superstitions are unique to this country, while others are found in many other places. Many superstitions, passed down through generations as explanations for life’s mysteries or warnings to keep people safe. From an anthropological point of view, superstitions are part of a society’s “cultural toolkit” — symbolic ways of coping with uncertainty,
South African Superstitions: Myths, Meanings and the Science Behind Them Read More »
An opinion piece by SA Secular Society’s Declan Ahern. Every September 24th, South Africa has a national tradition. The smell of braai smoke fills the air, people wear bright, traditional clothes, and we celebrate our “heritage.” We get together and tell ourselves this day is about honouring the many different cultures and traditions that make
Let’s Reclaim Heritage Day Through Reason and Wonder Read More »
Zukiswa Wanner is joint winner of the South African Secular Society for 2024. She gave this talk when she received the award in Johannesburg. We are here because on 29 February, 2024 at 15h42 Central African Time, my co-recipients of the Goethe Medal, Bolivian visual artist Elvira Espejo Ayca and author Ian McEwan from the
An opinion piece by SA Secular Society’s Declan Ahern. South Africa’s youth are inheriting a world flooded with information. Every day, they navigate a digital torrent of viral news, deepfakes, conspiracy theories, and miracle cures. To send them into this environment without the ability to distinguish fact from fiction is educational malpractice. We are giving
Installing Critical Thinking as South Africa’s Core Operating System Read More »
An opinion piece by Declan Ahern South Africa’s Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) represent a vast library of human experience. This is not a dusty archive of forgotten facts, but a living tapestry of wisdom, woven from generations of observation, survival, and cultural meaning. It holds profound insights into botany, metallurgy, ecology, and the human condition.
How Science Honours and Clarifies Indigenous Knowledge Read More »
