Traditional healers attend training workshop

The Langa branch of the Traditional Healers Organisation (THO) is raising awareness among traditional healers about the challenges different patients face.

The organisation held a three-day workshop last week and participants received certificates at the end of it, which according to the organisation, will permit them to do their job.

Khazimla Nkwenkwezi, who hosted the workshop, said it had been necessary because the THO had picked up that some untrained sangomas treated people incorrectly.

“We encourage them to refer patients to clinics and medical doctors if they are not sure about somebody’s illness. Again with this workshop, we want the public to know that traditional healers who do not have such a certificate are fake healers. We are now in a time when we all have certified certificates that permit one to operate as a sangoma," she said.

Ms Nkwenkwezi also urged traditional healers to desist from illegal practices relied on by those who wanted muti to kill others as their role was to heal people, not kill them.

Trainer Charlotte Moloi said: “Traditional healers are under pressure now. They have to be trained and get certificates, something that was not done before. We are truly living in difficult times. But we are not complaining. I am happy that our people are taking this training from us so they can operate without any doubt.”

Traditional healer Sigruzuba Masumpa said that during the training, healers had encouraged each other and discussed ideas about how to manage patients’ ailments without infringing on their rights.