By Wendy Jasson da Costa
Billed as the largest gathering of soothsayers under one roof in Durban, with 30 mediums claiming they can predict exactly what will happen in your life, the Durban International Astrology and Psychic Festival started at the Suncoast Casino yesterday, featuring Vedic astrologers, palmists, Feng Shui, psychics and tarot card readers.
One afternoon at the festival can leave you rather paranoid about reaching out and shaking hands, lest they read your palms or look into your eyes and read your mind.
Some claim to service the most prominent politicians and lawyers in the country.
The predictable request to divulge those names was quickly laid to rest by a threat to "use my power on you".
Chinese medicine practitioner Calinda Lin told a generously proportioned Mercury reporter that perhaps she had a weight problem.
An astrologer and palm reader called Jem did not promise the moon and the stars but predicted that the reporter would buy property in the next year. His prediction might come true, but it also turns out that his real job is as a property broker with a well-known estate agency.
With all the powers of divination concentrated in one room, The Mercury asked some to predict what was likely to happen in South Africa in the next few months, given the present political uncertainty.
Mystery Mother, a psychic who does Egyptian sand reading by using sand from the pyramids to harness the powers of the pharaohs to give her insight, said the general election would happen as initially planned for next year and that ANC president Jacob Zuma would be the next president.
However, she foresaw a period of turbulence in the country after 2010 because many people would be fighting for power.
Mystery Mother, who also uses her powers to help matriculants do well in their exams, said Zimbabwe's new administration would make many promises but it was hard to say if any would materialise.
She also predicted that the financial instability in the world would continue "unlimited".
Tess the psychic, who works with the police to find missing children, predicted an early election for South Africa and said that nothing would stop Zuma from becoming president.
Jem the astrologer-cum-property broker, said South Africa was a great country to live in, that it would always "survive" and that it would be able to rely on its own supplies of fuel and gas by 2020.
As for Zuma, "I can't ever see him going to jail... he'll be in power for two terms," he predicted.