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Indigenous healing practices in Limpopo Province of South Africa: A qualitative study
Abstract
The aim of the study was to investigate traditional healing practices among the Venda and Tsonga speaking people of Limpopo Province, South Africa. The study employed a qualitative design. Four traditional healers, selected through purposive sampling were asked to participate in the present study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants. Seven themes emerged from the narratives of the four participants. The seven themes identified are: a) the process of becoming a traditional healer; b) family and community reactions to the chosen career; c) patients treated; d) types of illnesses treated; e) diagnostic procedures used; f) treatment methods used; and, g) the notion of ethics by traditional healers. The study puts in perspective the ethical issues of competence, dealing with minor children and confidentiality. Some of the challenges associated with collaboration between traditional healing and the Western health care system are highlighted by the traditional healers.
... Faith healers are inclined towards the Christian faith, and therefore use the bible, prayer and the lighting of candles as their tools for diagnosis. They can also become diviners simultaneously, where the ancestral spirit can guide them (Truter 2007;Sodi et al. 2011;cf. Moyo 2022, p. 458;Mbiti 2015, p. 155). ...
... Men and women come naked into the water basin with indigenous medicine (muthi) to cleanse them from all evil spirits as a form of deliverance (Shange and Ross 2022, pp. 512, 517;Sodi et al. 2011). The problem of infertility and erectile dysfunction has always been a matter that traditional healers have been known to cure through traditional medicines (Semenya and Potgieter 2014, pp. 7, 8). ...
... Some training administered to the NPC prophets reveals some cultic practices that Kgatle discusses in detail (Kgatle 2021). Similarly, traditional healers undergo training from 6 months up to a year, and even years of rigorous training with various rituals and spiritual experiences, including encounters with snakes in the water (Sodi et al. 2011;Troskie 1997). The training of both has similar unconventional encounters. ...
New Prophetic Churches (NPCs) are a recent phenomenon within Pentecostalism in South Africa that have gained popularity. Their popularity is arguably due to their syncretism with African Traditional Religion (ATR), especially in its ministry practice of prophecy. The main objective of this article is to restore the sanctity of the prophetic ministry from a syncretic practice in NPCs back to its biblical foundation, by firstly highlighting the syncretic nature of NPCs prophetic ministry with divination, commonly practiced by native doctors in ATR. This study is a literary analysis of the practices of NPC prophets and their syncretic nature, using two case studies of NPC prophets. Osmer’s theoretical framework is used to describe syncretic practices of NPCs and the rationale behind such practices, then a normative reflection of the traditional practice is presented and pragmatic ways to realign NPCs into mainstream Pentecostalism are proposed. The findings reveal that most NPC prophets are faith healers operating in familiar spirits, not the Holy Spirit. The bible rejects divination; therefore, NPCs must determine what identity they choose between ATR and Christianity, because they cannot simultaneously operate in both.
... Some of the respondents in this study reported that they were called to become healers by their ancestral spirits, and that they learned about medicines through dreams and illnesses. Similar findings regarding learning healing practices and medicines that work through dreams have been reported by other investigators [51,52]. Edwards et al (2009) reported that a diviner is chosen by the ancestors who bestow upon him/her intuitive healing powers. ...
... Indeed, people become healers through the call of their ancestral spirits directing them to heal their people, give life back to them, and lead them to happiness. After the call to healing by the ancestral spirits, the person has to undergo training, usually through apprenticeship before they can start to provide healing services to the people [51,53]. So, healing is a gift from the ancestral spirits to a family member who is considered empathic and well-disposed to be responsible over the good health and continuity of life in the clan. ...
... So, healing is a gift from the ancestral spirits to a family member who is considered empathic and well-disposed to be responsible over the good health and continuity of life in the clan. If no one develops interests in inheriting the healing practice, the ancestral spirits intervene through dreams and visions, sometimes making a member of the family so very ill, a period during which the spirits reveal to that person the need for carrying on the healing tradition [51]. In South Africa, THPs are viewed as mediators between the ancestors and the people, as counsellors, and as providers of protection at home and on journeys and other expeditions. ...
Background
The practice of traditional and complementary medicine is increasing in most low-and middle-income countries especially for chronic communicable and non-communicable diseases. In this study, we aimed to understand how people gain healing power and become traditional health practitioners (THPs), perceived causes of illnesses, and how THPs diagnose illnesses.
Methods
This was a cross-sectional qualitative interview-based study. We used semi-structured in-depth guides to collect data from THPs identified through the Acoli cultural institutions and snowball sampling technique. The study team visited the THPs and interviewed them in their homes. Some THPs allowed the study team to visit them more than once and as well observe their healing practices and medicines. Thematic analysis approach was used to analyze the data. Atlas.ti version 9.2 was used to support data analysis.
Results
Twenty two THPs aged 39–80 years were included in the study. Most of the respondents were male, and married. We identified three main themes: (i) how people gain healing power and become traditional health practitioners; (ii) perceived causes of illnesses; and (iii) how illnesses are diagnosed. The majority of respondents reported that most people become THPs through: inheriting healing power from their parents or grandparents; transfer of healing powers from senior healers; instructions during visions and dreams; and, acquiring healing power during spirits possessions. Perceived causes of illnesses included: fate and natural causes, spirits attacks, curses by elders, witchcraft, contagion and infections, poor hygiene, heredity, and malevolent actions. THPs diagnose illnesses through various approaches including consultations with spirits, observing patterns of occurrences and events, evaluation of symptoms and signs of illnesses, use of bones from animals/birds and other objects to diagnose illnesses, performing diagnostic rituals, and using biomedical laboratory testing in health facilities.
Conclusion
Healing knowledge and powers are acquired in particular ways that can be traced to appraise authenticity of healers during registration and licensing to ensure safety of patients. Understanding perspectives of the THPS on causes of illnesses and how diagnoses are made potentially informs strategies for integration and or collaboration between the national biomedical health system and traditional health practices.
... Traditional healers, including herbal vendors or herbalists, spiritual and faith healers, and traditional birth attendants, are practitioners of traditional medicine, using plant, animal, and mineral-based medicines, spiritual therapies, and manual techniques to diagnose and treat disease [2]. They treat infectious, non-communicable diseases (wounds, hemorrhoids, fractures, liver disease, cancer, blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, prostate diseases, kidney failure, fibroids, infertility, and impotence), and pain [3,4]. Payment for services generally consists of a registration fee and cost of medicines, and in certain cases, services may be provided for free or with payment deferment [5,6]. ...
... Payment for services generally consists of a registration fee and cost of medicines, and in certain cases, services may be provided for free or with payment deferment [5,6]. Sometimes, traditional healers refer cases beyond their competency or for conditions best treated at the hospital to biomedical facilities, yet express concern over medical doctors not reciprocating these efforts [4,6]. Some Sub-Saharan African countries have introduced traditional medicine services into mainstream healthcare to formally recognize the traditional medicine system; however, traditional services are still generally practiced in parallel rather than being truly integrated [3,7]. ...
Background:
Traditional healers play a significant role in Sub-Saharan Africa's healthcare system, but little is known about their role across the cancer care continuum in this context. Given the prevalence of patients consulting healers, we aimed to elucidate their role and impact on cancer care delivery in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Methods:
Following the PRISMA reporting standards, all research focused on the role of traditional healers in the cancer care continuum in sub-Saharan Africa was included in this scoping review. Data sources assessed include PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and CINAHL Plus with Full Text, Scopus, Sociological Abstracts, African Journals Online, African Index Medicus, and Google Scholar. Studies that lacked perspectives on the healers' role, focused solely on the actual herbal medicines, were written in non-English language, were not primary research, or the full-text was unavailable were excluded. Two reviewers performed screening and data extraction for each article, confirmed by a third reviewer.
Results:
One thousand four hundred seventy-one studies were identified, with 1437 screened and 191 full-texts reviewed. Of those, 158 were excluded, and 33 (comprising of 1564 healers) were included for final data extraction and analysis. Five studies (64 healers) showed their role in prevention, eleven (454 healers) in diagnosis, twenty-seven (1524 healers) in treatment, and two (25 healers) in palliative care in Sub-Saharan Africa. While some desired increased collaboration with the biomedical system and referred patients, others lacked trust and remained hesitant to provide referrals.
Conclusion:
Results showed that traditional healers play an important role in cancer treatment. This provides an opportunity to leverage the skills of traditional healers to improve cancer outcomes, in a way that recognizes and respects local culture. Future research focused on improving the collaboration between traditional healers and the biomedical healthcare system may lead to strengthening the referral system and early detection and treatment of cancer.
Registration:
This study was registered on PROSPERO, CRD42022293055.
... Four types of traditional healers are recognised in South Africa, namely diviners, herbalists, faith healers and birth attendants (Sodi et al. 2011). Three were identified in the present study, and they include diviners (59%), herbalists (21%) and faith healers (8%). ...
African traditional medicine contributes to greater healthcare coverage by providing primary healthcare to rural dwellers, who often have limited access to modern medical services. However, the prevalence of traditional medicine use has been reported to put pressure on biological resources upon which it relies. Indigenous people have identified many wild animals as possessing curative properties. The use of animals and their body parts as ingredients in traditional medicine is often poorly regulated and therefore represents a major challenge for biodiversity conservation. We investigated traditional health practitioners’ ethnomedicinal use of vultures in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. In-depth interviews were conducted with 26 traditional health practitioners from two district municipalities. Data collected were analysed through qualitative and quantitative methodologies. We documented seven parts of the vulture that traditional health practitioners used in KwaZulu-Natal. When the Use Value (UV) index was calculated for each part, the head obtained the highest (0.92). Consensus on parts and their uses was generally low across the study group. Of the 21 uses reported for vulture parts, 71% were spiritual-based. The participants were aware of the hunting of vultures through the use of poison but demonstrated different views about the risks associated with using such material. Overall, our findings confirm the increasing use of African vultures in traditional medicine. Raising awareness and upscaling the active involvement of traditional health practitioners in natural resource management may benefit vulture conservation and that of other species commonly used in belief-based practices.
This study was a psychobiographical analysis of Chief Mohlomi’s indigenous epistemology of a healing career. Mohlomi was an unconventional thinker and the great-grandson of the king of the Bakoena, Monaheng, who lived in pre-colonial Africa. Mohlomi is generally referred to as the Socrates of Africa, a philosopher par excellence. He was also known as a great healer. The study answered the question: How can Chief Mohlomi’s indigenous epistemology of healing practices help bridge the Western, educated, industrialised, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) psychological healing practices gap and promote Afrocentric indigenous healing practices? Savickas’ Career Construction Theory was used as a lens to interpret Chief Mohlomi’s career of healing. Employing a single-case design, biographical data was examined to understand Chief Mohlomi’s indigenous epistemology of healing practices. The findings underscore Mohlomi’s indigenous epistemology of healing, healing for well-being, healing for inclusion and healing as nation-building. This study contributes to the field of psychology in general through the use of a psychobiography. In particular, the study contributes to the fields of career development and psychiatry based on the lessons learned from Chief Mohlomi’s epistemology of healing. Keywords: Healing Career, Indigenous Epistemology, Chief Mohlomi, Psychobiography, Lesotho.
In this chapter, the focus is on practitioners’ ability to address contemporary realities. The areas include managing culture-bound syndrome, crisis intervention, telepsychology, phototherapy, facilitating client career transitions and a strengths-based approach to case management and conceptualisation are also explored.
Most of the population in Africa is still dependent on indigenous medicinal knowledge for treating and managing ailments. However, it is still not yet understood how this valuable knowledge is acquired and transferred from one generation to the next. The aim of this chapter was to assess the process of acquiring and transferring indigenous medicinal knowledge among its owners and practitioners. The study adopted a qualitative research approach. The findings revealed that indigenous medicinal knowledge is acquired in many different ways including visions, dreams and vigorous training and it is transferred to specially chosen children and trainees through vigorous training.
The majority of South Africans use both traditional and Western healthcare services. Although traditional healers have long since recognized and utilized the healing power of music, music therapy as a profession in this country is largely aligned with Western medical approaches, as it is regulated by the Health Professions Council of South Africa. This alignment leaves little recognition to traditional health practitioners. In the current study, we explored music therapists’ and traditional healers’ perceptions of their roles and relationships with each other in South African healthcare with the hope of initiating dialogue. Four traditional healers (TH) and four music therapists (MT) participated in interviews within this multiple case study, and thematic analysis was used to interpret the data. We identified eight overarching themes that appeared most salient to the music therapists and traditional healers (framed from their perspectives): (1) Both our practices support wellbeing, with music as a tool; (2) We both seek to enhance general well-being, but with different specializations; (3) We both focus on relational connection; (4) We both emphasize the importance of culture; (5) THs emphasize spirituality; (6) We hold curious, yet cautious regard for each other’s practices; (7) MT may aid in addressing psychosocial needs in South Africa; and (8) We both welcome a pluralism of approaches. Both groups of practitioners envisioned a future healthcare system that embraces multiple modalities while reflecting on the need to engage in issues related to boundaries of scopes of practice. They highlighted the need for greater trust between practitioners from different approaches to serve a diverse population better.
Using a study about students' experiences and perceptions of ‘race’ and racism at a medical school in South Africa, this paper demonstrates that qualitative data analysis can be systematic, procedural and rigorous. The paper initially outlines the analytical procedures followed during the study. We then reflect on the value of these procedures in optimising our research outcome and finally we illustrate the development of our thinking by tracking steps in our analysis in relation to one cluster of key findings. We also note ways in which the qualitative software package NVivo contributed to systematic and rigorous practice. We conclude that in order to contribute to best practice in qualitative research, qualitative researchers need to make their analytical procedures transparent in research reports.
International guidelines on HIV testing stipulate that only certified persons should perform HIV testing. Current South African policy does not stipulate who may perform an HIV test and is silent on an HIV tester certification process. Despite contradictions in national guidelines and policies on who may perform HIV testing, draft regulations allow for designated professionals and a competent person' to draw blood. While traditional health practitioners may be deemed competent persons, they are forbidden from performing such procedures by their governing statute. Accordingly, while it could be argued that it is ethically permissible for traditional health practitioners to perform HIV testing provided such persons are appropriately trained and certified, the performance of such procedures by such persons may have legal implications.
The purpose of this article is to explore and describe the perceptions of traditional healers
of cervical cancer care. The incidence of cervical cancer, especially among black South
African females, is among the highest in the world. Women report at clinics and hospitals
on a daily basis with advanced stages (stages III and IV) of cervical cancer. Black women
consult traditional healers first, before they consult health-care professionals. Although
cervical cancer survival rates are said to be improving across South Africa, not all women
benefit from the screening programme for early detection of cervical cancer. Traditional
healers perform an indispensable role in the delivery of health care, especially in rural
areas where access to biomedical care is limited. The article is based on a qualitative,
descriptive, and exploratory study. The study population included traditional healers who
were chosen through snowball sampling. Data was collected by means of in-depth interviews.
Data was analysed using Tesch's method. The findings of this study demonstrated
that the traditional health practitioners have good knowledge about cervical cancer care.
This was shown by the knowledge they had of naming the disease, predisposing factors
and causes, of cancer care, symptoms of diseases, diagnostic measures and methods of
treatment. The findings of this study provided valuable information on the perceptions of
traditional healers of cervical cancer care. In view of the knowledge that the traditional
healers possess, this study recommended that there be sharing of knowledge and collaboration
between modern health-care practitioners and traditional healers. Collaboration may
assist in early detection and treatment of cervical cancer, thereby improving the mortality
rate
Witchcraft, Violence, and Democracy in South Africa By Adam Ashforth. Chicago and New York. University of Chicago Press. 2005.
Calls for the recognition of indigenous healers have been made nationally and internationally in view of the positive role that these providers of alternative health care can play in the treatment of various forms of illness. In South Africa, the Draft Policy on African Traditional Medicine for South Africa lays the foundation on how collaboration between indigenous healers and modern health care providers could be realized. This article focuses on the healing methods that are used by indigenous healers in South Africa. An overview of the diagnostic methods and the therapeutic procedures used in the treatment of some illnesses and social dysfunctions is presented. Case studies are presented to illustrate how two indigenous healers interpret and treat “senyama” – a form of psychological dysfunction. Some psychological and public health explanations are advanced to understand this culturally defined health condition can be understood from the Western health perspective.
In South Africa most black women use antenatal care services and deliver in clinics, and a considerable number complement this use of formal health services with traditional medicine. This study reported here examined the knowledge, beliefs and practical experiences of pregnant women, traditional healers and midwives with regard to kgaba (traditional medicine) and explored what constitutes kgaba. Interviews (N=30) and focus group discussions (N=21) were carried out among participants in Mogwase district in the North West Province of South Africa, where the use of kgaba remedies is commonly believed to cause foetal distress and an increase in caesarean sections. Findings indicated that kgaba remedies are ingested not only to prevent or solve physical problems but are also perceived as valuable in protecting against the harm that evil spirits can cause during pregnancy. Experiences with kgaba differed among participants and this may relate to the variety of plants used, their preparation and dosage. The use of crushed ostrich eggshell, which is perceived as inducing labour, emerged as an important finding. The use of kgaba as perceived by the Tswana is an important component in the experience of pregnancy and labour. However, communication about the use of kgaba between pregnant women and health staff was poor and hinders reporting or recording of dosage and evaluation of effects. There is a need to develop strategies that promote open dialogue between health providers and communities on the use of traditional medicine. Keywords: traditional medicine, labour, ethnopharmacology, South AfricaAfrican Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines Vol. 3(1) 2006: 11-22
Traditional healing in South Africa is undergoing a process of change. Recognition of the role of traditional healers in health care, especially in the face of the HIV and AIDS pandemic, has led to government calls for professionalisation amongst this group. Traditional healers themselves have been increasingly experiencing a need to professionalise in order to gain more equal treatment in the public health sector and to secure access to state resources and support. In response to these developments, the government passed the Traditional Health Practitioners Act in 2004, which sets the parameters for official recognition of healers under the state. This paper focuses on the dynamics and politics amongst traditional health practitioners as they undergo this process of professionalisation, focusing on the KwaZulu-Natal Traditional Healers Council, the official body responsible for representing healers in the Province. It explores and analyses several key tensions amongst healers within and beyond the Council, showing how these tensions reveal particular power struggles over authority, as well as conflicting perspectives on the control and use of indigenous knowledge and the parameters of ‘authentic’ and ‘appropriate’ healing practice. The paper also looks at how the KwaZulu-Natal Council has attempted to mediate these tensions, emphasising that healers will have to find ways to resolve such conflicts in order for them to be able to come together and work on a common vision of professionalism.
This study explores how psychological distress is identified and explained among Zulu people, examines how traditional healers understand their role and treatment methods and investigates the interaction between traditional and Western approaches to health care. Zulu people consult traditional healers namely diviners, faith healers or herbalists, as well as Western doctors to treat mental illness and distress. Whilst Western biomedicine is seen as useful in providing treatment, diviners and faith healers are particularly valued for their skills in identifying the cause of illness. Patients and their families tend to shop around for a practitioner who gives advice in keeping with their own beliefs. Psychological distress is usually explained in terms of sorcery, displeasure from the ancestors or social causes. Traditional healers use treatments aimed at harmonizing the patient with their environment through neutralizing sorcery, appeasing ancestors or directly manipulating the environment.