Phone consultations dividing traditional healers

(14 Dec 2019) LEAD IN:

The ancient art of traditional healing in South Africa is getting a 21st century overhaul.

Some healers are using social media and smart phones to treat patients remotely - but not everyone in the profession is happy with the technological twist.



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Ziyanda Patu is seeking the help of a traditional healer.

And she doesn't even have to leave her home in the sprawling informal settlement of Khayelitsha, near Cape Town, to get it.

From the comfort of her sofa, she calls healer Deyi for a consultation.

In the past, she would have had to trek across town.

But today, mobile phones allow her to speak with a healer and avoid a long journey.

Deyi works in another part of Khayelitsha. He believes our ancestors know the answers to our problems.

To connect with both his and Patu's ancestors, he burns a plant known as imphepho and lights candles.

Across town, Patu waits on the phone to hear Deyi's advice.

Patu explains her situation:

"I contacted Mr Deyi because I was in a car accident myself, and I don't understand why every year a member of my family is involved in a car accident. What is going on? Each year at the same time a member of the family is involved in an accident," she says.

"Mr Deyi said to me that there was a family member who was involved in an accident some time back. The correct rituals for this person who died in an accident weren't followed. Unless you follow through on these rituals, car accidents will keep happening. I need to speak to the older members of my family to see who this family member was who died in a car accident."

The use of social media is growing among traditional healers in South Africa.

There are over 350,000 traditional healers in the country according to the Traditional Healer's Organisation, compared with just 46,123 medical doctors according to the Health Professions Council of South Africa.

Traditional healers interact with ancestors to solve problems - be they illness, finance, family or other issues.

Sometimes natural medicines are dispensed, although traditional healers don't have to undergo the rigorous medical training hospital doctors and general practitioners must complete before they are allowed to treat patients.

Deyi has no issue with conducting his work by social media or telephone, instead of in person.

"This is not a human thing. This is a spiritual thing. Whether you are far or near it doesn't matter. It's about me knowing your clan name," he explains.

"When you tell me your clan name that allows me to interact with my ancestors and your ancestors - by using your clan name. That is when the connection will take place, whether you are far or close to me. What matters is your clan name, because your clan name determines where your ancestors come from."

Phepsile Maseko is National Coordinator of the Traditional Healers Organisation.

She reveals the organisation is about take things one step further and introduce an app to allow people to contact with healers remotely.

"As a body of authority, being the Traditional Healers' Organisation, we are saying we are going to be introducing an app, an application, which will be tailor-made, you know, for certain interests and for certain specific needs of patients that cannot afford to travel to a healer because they don't have money, some of them because they are too far from the patient, some of them because they are too ill to walk out of the bed," she says.

That's not everyone's view.

He insists meeting clients is crucial.



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