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In a polarised world, the South African Secular Society plays a bold role in holding our diversity in mind

Marianne Thamm
By Marianne Thamm
25 May 2025
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Being named a joint recipient of the 2024 Secularist of the Year award triggered reflection on belief and also on the important work the organisation continues to do in South African society.

As a recovering Catholic suffering from residual guilt, I have been mortified into paralysis for missing the ceremony for the 2024 Secularist of the Year awards. I was one of the recipients, so you understand.

My fellow recipient was the award-winning author and activist Zukiswa Wanner. Sharing it with her is beyond cool. Missing the award ceremony is not.

The South African Secular Society serves as a unique space for people who seek to live their lives beyond religion in South Africa, a secular state. It is a civil society organisation registered as a nonprofit and defines itself as promoting “secularism and the naturalistic world view”.

Years ago, one of its founding members and now its vice-president, Rudy Nadler-Nir, told the story of registering the organisation with Home Affairs. The clerk who was on duty that day wanted to know if the society was a “religious organisation”, so little is secularism understood.

The society was formed in 2014. Two years later, Home Affairs officially allowed it to nominate individuals to become secular officiants. Its chairperson at present is Rick Raubenheimer.

The award


Announcing the award, the society explained that the nominees “were such strong contenders that it was decided to award the title jointly for the first time since the awards were introduced in 2017”.

Zukiswa’s activism includes gender justice, social justice and secularism. “As a sociopolitico commentator she upholds a humanist approach, providing a positive role model of courage, integrity and the need to bear witness. She was awarded the title of African of the Year for 2024 by The Continent newspaper,” the society said.

The award is given annually to an individual or organisation that the judges consider to have made “a great contribution to the advancement of the just treatment of South African citizens by their government and society”.

Previous recipients include Professor Sakkie Spangenberg, academic, theologian and one of the founders of the Nuwe Hervorming Netwerk, Professor Sean Davison, Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, Dr Suzanne Walter, Dr Patrick Pillay and Hans Pietersen, founder of the Organisasie vir Godsdienste-Onderrig en Demokrasie.

I am honoured to have been nominated and to have received this award alongside Zukiswa. It is one of those I will be proud to hang in my workspace for my children to keep and hold on to.

secular religion humanism From left: Professor Sean Davison, the Secularist of the Year award winner in 2022; Marianne Thamm, joint winner of the award in 2024; Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, the 2021 winner; and Zukiswa Wanner, the 2024 joint winner. (Photos: Gallo Images, Facebook)


Why secularism?


The South African Secular Society’s basis is the strict separation of religious institutions from the state and the equal recognition of all regardless of belief or lack of such before the law.

This is why, when someone in South Africa is “sworn in” in court or as a member of Parliament, there is an option of choosing how you wish to do this. You can swear an “oath” or take an “affirmation”, which is an affirmation of faithfulness to the Constitution of South Africa.

The society explains that the naturalistic world view “is a comprehensive world view based in a scientific, empirical understanding of reality. It offers a positive, rational and fulfilling alternative to faith-based religions and non-empirical world views. The naturalistic world view supports atheism, agnosticism, non-theism, free thought and humanism.”

Therefore, my agnostic and quantum curious self fits right in.

Bill of Rights


The Bill of Rights contained in the South African Constitution respects the culture and dignity of all people. It includes race and gender equality (adhering to the spirit of Ubuntu), and this is key always to hold in mind.

In an increasingly polarised world, the society plays an important role in holding the diversity of South Africa in mind, including those who hold deep religious beliefs.

Just as religion has played a part in calling out atrocities and hatred in its name, so has it had a hand in much of the bloodshed itself. Although Islam and long-established and organised Christian faiths such as the Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists, Episcopalians, Protestants and others have called for peace and espouse the true principles of the faith – caring for the poor and the vulnerable, calling out injustice, viewing the world as an inclusive one – others have weaponised religion.

These sects and cults warp and twist religion into a nationalistic weapon of destruction to be used against perceived enemies, replacing the gospel with tongues.

Somewhere in all this noise is the secular society we all live in. And somewhere is a society where like-minded secularists can move through the world. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.

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