THOKOZA – “Being sangomas of an informed generation and the regular workshops we have with professional nurses and doctors equip us with the ability to identify symptoms of illnesses like TB, HIV and AIDS which we cannot treat.”
These were the words of Gogo Leah Mhlanga, who was among the African medicine practitioners who gathered in the Thokoza Youth Centre last month to celebrate African Traditional Medicine Day in partnership with the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM).
African Medicine Day is celebrated nationally on August 31, and in her keynote address Member of Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Health and Social Development, Clr Makhosazana Mabaso, highlighted the importance of cooperation between health practitioners in order to achieve a 60 percent drop in new HIV infections by 2016.
“Our patient is your patient as well and as health practitioners aimed at saving lives we need to organise ourselves. So many stereotypes exist about traditional healers and their medicines because of the bogus traditional African medicine practitioners out there,” said Mabaso.
“Today is about updating our database so we know who we are working with and so that we can invite you to workshops where we can share ideas on how we can begin to understand the healing dynamics of traditional medicine and regulating African traditional medicine in Ekurhuleni.”
The MMC also presented a banner to the Ekurhuleni AIDS Council to signify that the municipality acknowledges African traditional medicine practitioners and is determined to work together towards achieving a healthier Ekurhuleni.
