ON EVERY street corner and on every lamp-post I’m sure you’ve seen the pamphlets and posters advertising penis enlargement, luck in gambling, success pills and various other services.
The adverts are usually bizarre claims of supernatural powers. Often bogus mystics charge huge fees to get rid of curses or bring back lost lovers, and the victims often report the cases after the fact. There are so many stories of people being scammed, and the police have been trying to deal with this on a case-by-case basis.
There is an unconfirmed news report of a man who ordered a penis enlarger and received a package in the mail. It contained a magnifying glass, with instructions, ‘Do not use in sunlight’.
The best solution would be to have a registry of authentic traditional healers so that those who wish to use their services will not be taken to the cleaners by a fraudster. Traditional healers should be treated like any other profession, with proper checks and balances to ensure that the profession is not brought into disrepute.
There is a Traditional Health Practitioners Act, which came into effect in 2014, and provides for the establishment of a traditional healer’s council to oversee the registration and training of traditional healers and protects the interest of the public who use the services of traditional healers.
The Act says that no person can practice as a traditional healer in South Africa unless they are registered, and practicing without registration is an offence and punishable by a fine or up to 12 months in prison, or both.
There are reports that up to 80 percent of South Africans use traditional healers as their primary source of healthcare, and other reports putting the figure at 2 percent. Either way, it still amounts to a lot of people and these people are entitled to the protection of a professional body.
Going to a healer of your choice is your right, but choose to go to a traditional healer who has been properly trained and is a legitimately registered healer.
