Rapula Moatshe
A CLASH is looming between a group of sangomas in Tshwane and Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi over the “restrictive nature” of the proposed regulations on traditional health practice.
Sangomas in Mamelodi have vowed to take on Motsoaledi after he published the proposed regulations in the Government Gazette on November 3, proposing that the traditional health practice be regulated.
They accused him of wanting to infuse the western tradition into their African traditional practice and threatened to march to the Union Buildings if their demands fell on deaf ears.
In terms of the gazette, a person wishing to be a sangoma should apply for registration and must be at least 18 years and above.
The application must be forwarded to the Interim Traditional Healers’ Council and be accompanied by a certain fee.
The 20-member council is made up of members from all nine provinces and also has representatives of stakeholder bodies, including the Health Professions Council and the SA Pharmaceutical Council.
The person must undergo training at an accredited institution or with a traditional tutor, according to the gazette.
Sangomas said the proposals were disrespectful to them because they were based on the assumption that the traditional health practice was like a career.
Traditional healer Nomsa Sibeko said: “You don't wake up one morning and decide to be a sangoma. To be a sangoma is a calling. There is no timeframe as to when your amadlozi (ancestors) would come to you.”
She denounced the intention to prescribe the age from which the sangomas can practise their trade. “The situation is spiritually controlled,” she said.
The department wants the would-be sangomas to possess Abet Level One qualification as one of the pre-requisites to practising.
Sibeko said the department must organise the training workshop at which the Abet Level One lessons would be offered.
She castigated the proposal by the ministry for the initiates to have a log book to record every step of their training.
Another sangoma Rathabeng Mogoboya said the department should be targeting the healers who go about advertising themselves as capable to cure every disease.
According to the gazette, the department intends to prescribe the duration of sangoma training to at least a year. But, sangomas said their training duration “was spiritually controlled”.
There was also an outcry that the gazette was written only in English and, therefore, excluded the majority of sangomas from participating. “We want the gazette to be published in all the official languages, including the audio records,” Sibeko said.